Basketball, Robots, and Police Chases
by BTR-Profiler
Summary: Erica Houston thought her Spring Break would be the same: Stay home and play basketball in the boring town of Jasper. That soon changes when a new boy arrives. Okay, he's not actually a boy. Meet Jesse Blue. Or better known as Bluestreak. With the aide of her best friend Myra, Erica is in for a wild ride of basketball tournaments, evil robots, and the possibility of being arrested.
1. Chapter One

**Title: Basketball, Robots, and Police Chases... AKA The Spring Break of Erica Houston and Myra Daniels... in a nut-shell.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Absolutely nothing. I wish I did. I would be the luckiest Transformers fan girl in the universe. **

**Warning: Language, violence, and Myra being a bad-ass.**

* * *

The birds were chirping softly in their cozy nests. Their whistling was bright, cheerful, and sang of new delight and that spring was on the way. A mother robin flew down from her perch on a telephone pole and landed on the nest where her babies were twittering. The young robins lowered their song as their mother snuggled herself over the birds, closing her eyes and drifting off into a nap.

_Click!_

Hazel eyes peered over the camera before looking down at the newly taken photo of the young oak tree in the park. The branches were starting to bud, a sign of spring and that school would be out in less than two months. Legs crossed Indian style, a blonde haired teen set down her camera before pulling out a notebook from a brown satchel. Wearing only a white crochet, lace halter top, dark blue jean shorts, and gold gladiator shoes, the girl was eagerly waiting for spring. Snatching a pencil from behind her ear, Erica Houston quickly wrote down several notes of her next few upcoming days before her eyes caught sight of something that would be worth taking photos of.

"First take the pictures, then to Ms. Knowles for approval, and finally on the school's website for everyone to see."

Erica gently sat down her notebook and grabbed her camera, pulling it up to her face. Focusing on the object parked across the road, which was a black and silver colored Ford Mustang Cobra, strangely by itself. Reveling in the view the blonde smirked and brought her camera up. But just as she was about to take the picture, a black headed teenager sped past on a bicycle. "_Wheeeeeeeeeee!_"

The blonde shrieked and dropped her camera in surprise. "What the hell Myra!" Realizing her hands were empty she stooped and grabbed her camera wiping it off while glaring. "You ruined my shot! It would have been perfect and _you ruined it_!"

'Myra' stood the kickstand up and got off her bike, swinging her damp hair behind her shoulder while sauntering over. She was dressed solely in loose grey sweatpants and a black tank top that hugged her lanky abdomen. Wet black hair spilled out from top of her head framing an angular face with high cheekbones showing her Italian heritage. Twinkling grey blue eyes analyzed everything behind a pair of purple rimmed rectangular glasses that perched on an elongated nose.

She winked at Erica's disposition, her voice drawling with a stubborn Californian dialect that didn't want to fade.

"Daw you love me and you know it. Besides " She flung her hair dramatically. "-dontcha know? I'm a _celebrity_ now."

There was a growl and then the black headed girl had to duck some to avoid getting punched. "Don't push it."

A sly grin and an eye roll was her only reply. Myra then crouched and started rubbing Chance's coat cooing. "Oh who's a good doggie? Who's a good boy? Yes you! Yes you are!" She was answered by a round of barking. Erica raised an eyebrow. "Someone's happy to see you."

"Nah, just the dog treats." Her companion chuckled pulling out a bag from her pants pocket. Immediately the collie perked up, his tail increasing its wagging power. "What think this for you?" She teased him before slipping a treat out and throwing it in the air making him jump for it.

Shaking her head, Erica looked away and eyed her target across the street and then back at her friend, an idea forming. "Since you're here, maybe you could help me with something…"

Myra suspiciously glanced up. "And pray tell what would that be?

"See that car over there?" The raven-haired teen followed her finger. "Could you make sure that there isn't a hobo hiding in the back seat?"

"Smoking car..." She whistled while glancing at Erica. "But for what purpose, eh?"

"To get photos of it of course!" The blonde squealed indicating her camera. "I have a dead line of getting some photos to Knowles tomorrow morning! Plus don't deny it; you want to see it too."

"Uh huh…" She eyed the car as well. Her eyes caught the blue FORD emblem on the car and frowned at her blonde haired friend. "You do realize it's a Ford right? Remember I _hate_ Fords and I can see it just fine from where I'm at."

Erica smiled. "I thought your motto was 'A hot car is a hot car'. And you _know_ you want to get closer to it."

A few moments of silence between the two friends went by before Myra let out a huff and glared at Erica. " Use my own motto against me? That's low, even for you..." Myra groaned in frustration and stood up. She shot her a glare. "You owe me for this."

Erica smirked. "Love you Hawkeye, and don't let the hobos rob you!"

"Yeah yeah shut up." She shot back over her shoulder.

After about a minute of looking over the car, Myra walked back shaking her head. "Nobody there from what I can see."

In answer the blonde began snapping pictures, though keeping a wary eye on both the surrounding area and her friend who chuckled. "Afraid to look like a stalker there_, mi amica_?"

"Hey, you can't blame a girl for being freaked out. Besides, my career's on the line." She continued taking pictures, trying different angles and positions on her camera. "Grand Theft Auto would _kill _me."

"Amongst other things…." The raven haired teen mused while a guitar riff from Nickelback's "Midnight Queen" ripped through the air surprising the two. "Oh crap my phone." Myra dug around in her pocket grumbling and brought it up to her ear.

"Hello?" She started while walking away to give herself some privacy.

* * *

A whine was at Erica's side and she looked down. "Well, I'm sorry if someone had to tease you with food." Erica replied sarcastically.

The dog let out a woof in response, before diving directly into Erica's satchel. His sensitive nose caught whiff of something delicious and lifted his head, trying to find the smell. He poked his head inside of the satchel and dragged out a bag of Goldfish with chocolate chips mixed in. Chance immediately jumped up and back away from Erica, his teeth sinking into the plastic.

"Drop it Chance." The girl commanded.

The dog refused to move.

Rolling her eyes, Erica reached out to grab her food from Chance's mouth but the dog was too quick. Scowling, the blonde leapt to her feet and chased after Chance. Her dog eventually dropped the bag and began to bark, leaning down on his front paws and wagging his tail. Erica grabbed her snack and glared at the collie. Chance shrunk down in fear, his tail darting between his legs.

_Sometimes I ask myself why I begged Diane and Brian to get me a dog. He's so damn stubborn!_

Myra walked back with a grumble slipping her phone back into her pocket. "Well damn I wanted to walk home with you and talk about something, but it seems I forgot my towel back at the pool deck…" She kicked a dirt clod in frustration. "So I have to go back and get it before Coach locks up the gate."

Erica flinched. "Yikes…"

The other teen mounted her bike and kicked the stand up giving her friend a smile. "Eh, need the exercise anyway. Talk to you later amica!"

She then rode off back to the high school.

"C'mon boy might as well get on home." Erica spoke, motioning for the dog to follow. Chance rose up and trotted over to his master, tail wagging in relief of the word "home." The two walked over to their designated spot, gathered up their things, and started to walk out of the park when Erica noticed something different about their surroundings.

_That's weird... I could've sworn it was right there... _

Erica scanned the park and road only to see no mysterious car lurking around. The girl bit her lip. The Mustang was gone.

* * *

On her way home, Erica wrapped her jacket tighter around her shoulders, legs starting to become cold. _Note to self: never wear shorts until summer because your legs will pay the price. _Teeth slightly chattering as another burst of wind blew through, Erica heard the soft purring of a motorcycle engine coming up behind her. Slowing her step, the girl held out her hand and waved it for the rider's attention. Eventually, the cycle came to a stop and the rider pulled off their helmet, revealing a set of messy black hair and blue eyes.

"Jack? Since when did you get a motorcycle?" Folding her arms across her chest, Erica admired the sleek and sexy blue and silver bike in front of her. The boy flushed a light pink, running a hand through his hair and laughing at the girl's joke.

"For about awhile," Jack shrugged, not taking his eyes off the girl in front of him. Erica brushed a strand of her hair as Chance plopped down beside her.

Clicking his tongue, Jack cleared his throat and smiled softly at the blonde. "Hey, I could give you a ride home, if you want."

Erica shrugged. "Sure, but what about my dog?"

Both teens looked at one another before Chance jumped to his paws and began running down the street, leaving Erica and Jack frazzled at the sight. Jack glanced over at Erica who was shaking her head at her dog's retreating form. The girl smiled at her classmate and gingerly climbed onto the bike, and snaked her arms around Jack's middle, pressing her face against his back.

"You think your dog knows his way home?"

"Eh, he's done it before. I think he knows it by now."

And with that said, Jack pressed down onto the gas and the two sped off down the street, leaving a cloud of smoke behind them. After driving to Erica's house and pulling up into her driveway, Jack placed his bike in park and let the girl off his motorcycle. The blonde laughed when she saw Chance sitting on her front porch, tongue hanging out of his mouth. Jack sent a mock wave to the girl as she waltzed up to her front door.

"See you at school." Jack called out as Erica opened up her front door. She sent him a small smile and waved back before entering the house along with Chance. "Night Jack." Erica pressed her back against her front door and chuckled softly to herself as she made her way upstairs to her room.

Outside the house, Jack sat on his bike with a goofy grin plastered on his face when a female voice piped up from the motorcycle.

"What about Sierra?"

"Let's just go home, Arcee."

* * *

Later that night, Erica was sitting on her bed with her laptop on her legs and was skimming through her photos. She had several photos of her foster family, Chance, landscapes, and even an album dedicated to Arlington National Cementary. The teen flipped through the album and paused when she came across a certain photo.

_Sergeant First Class Ross Houston_

_May 5th, 1977 - June 28th, 1996_

_United States Army_

It was a grave. A soild, white tombstone that revealed the father of Erica Houston who had died two months after she was born. Erica's mother gave up the child only a day later after receiving word of her husband's death. For sixteen years, Erica was in and out of foster homes until she finally settled down in Jasper, only 30 miles from Las Vegas. But for the photo, this was one of the few reminders that the teen currently had. Another memorabilia was her father's dog tags that lay hidden in a small box under her bed with a photo of her mother and father.

Erica shook off the feeling and continued to go through her photos. When she came across the photos she had taken of the Mustang, she leaned back against her bed and looked down at Chance who was lying comfortably at her feet.

"Did you hear a car engine go by us today, Chance?"

The collie lifted his head and cocked his head to the side. His expression read; _What the hell are you talking about? I was trying to eat your damn goldfish._ He let out a small bark and then began nudging Erica's foot with his damp nose. The teen nodded and ran a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, me neither. I bet it's nothing." Erica shut down her laptop and swung her feet over placing them on the cold floor. She placed the computer on her desk, grabbed the charger, and plugged her laptop in for the night. The blonde again climbed into her bed, switched off her lamp and curled under the covers.

Chance moved himself to where he was curled at Erica's waist, her hand resting on his side. The collie closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep to the smooth touch of his master's fingers stroking his fur.

Smiling to herself, Erica pressed a kiss to her beloved companion's furry head. "Night, boy."

* * *

**Authors Note: Yes, yes. I have a new Transformers story. And don't worry. I will be working on Unstoppable and Rule 29 too. I haven't forgotten those stories. Hope you guys liked this one.**

**REMEMBER: READ AND REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: Once again. I own nothing. -sad face-**

**Warnings for this chapter: Language and Myra being... well, Myra.**

* * *

The next morning, Erica lay dozing in her bed, curled comfortably under her covers while Chance was buried next to Erica's stomach. The girl's arm was draped over her companion's body, fingers idly stroking at black and white fur. Eyes barely open, Erica heard footsteps at her bedroom door and giggling. The blonde shifted her body and pushed herself into a sitting position as the door was slowly pried open.

Two brown heads peered around the door, green eyes locking onto the girl in the bed. The two little girls, Grace and Addie, crept into the room and with a squeal, jumped onto Erica's bed, surprising Chance from his slumber and nearly throwing him off the bed. The dog slipped off his master's bed and trotted to his normal dog bed, curling back up and falling asleep.

"Morning Erica!" The twin girls shouted.

Tired and groggy, Erica rubbed at her face, trying to get the sleep out of her eyes. She let out a loud yawn and tossed her head back onto her pillow with a groan. "Guys," she whined. "It's too early. Go get your mom and dad. A girl needs her beauty sleep..."

Grace, the shorter of the twins, shoved Erica playfully on the arm and laughed. "But they're already up! They told us to come get you!"

"And you promised that you would take us to the photo shoot!" Addie spoke, sliding off the bed and folding her arms over her chest.

Erica sighed and climbed her way out of bed, glaring down at Chance. "Thanks for backing me up, traitor." The girl said bitterly. The dog simply barked and went back to sleep.

The twins each grabbed hold of one of Erica's hands, dragging her out of the room and making her follow them down the stairs. Grace and Addie weren't Erica's sisters; they were her foster siblings. And in the kitchen, Erica's foster mother, Diane Carson stood at the stove, making eggs and bacon while her husband was reading his newspaper. Erica and the two girls waltzed into the kitchen, taking a seat on the bar stools.

"Morning Erica, I see the girls woke you up." came the baritone voice of Brian Carson. His gray eyes peered over his newspaper to see the blonde teen, propping her chin on the palm of her hand. Erica stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, they did an _amazing _job at it too." Erica muttered, her eyes frowning at her foster father. Brian simply shrugged, sipping at his morning coffee, snickering under his breath. "And by the way, I need to borrow the car."

"What for?" Diane piped, setting a plate for each of the girls at the bar. Addie and Grace greedily dove into their breakfast, munching on buttered-toast and crispy bacon.

Erica took a bite of her eggs and swallowed. "I've got an interview with a newspaper this morning before school. Coach Rodriguez wants me to get there early and do some pictures for her. And I promised the twins that I would let them watch as long as they don't repeat what happened last time."

"We didn't mean to break the lady's camera!"

All eyes turned to the two girls. Grace smiled brightly before taking a bite of her toast as her twin sister munched quietly on her bacon. Erica rolled her eyes. Sipping on a glass of orange juice, the blonde teen stood up from her spot at the table and ran a hand through her hair.

Brian lowered his newspaper and looked at Erica. "You sure you can get the interview done on time before you drop off the girls?"

Erica nodded."Family first, Brian," she grinned.

Grace giggled as her mother placed another piece of toast on her plate and gave Erica thumbs up. With a quick swipe of her hand, Addie snatched the extra piece of toast from her twins' plate and shoved the bread into her mouth.

"I'm gonna take a shower." Erica spoke. She pointed at the twins who were glaring at each other from the swiping of the toast. "You two get yourselves put together and I'll see you in about twenty minutes."

* * *

With that said, the girl trotted up the stairs, seeing Chance by the door frame of her room. Erica shook her head at her furry companion and waltzed into her closet, pulling back at several shirts and blouses. Her eyes skimmed over the various shades of blue, green, grays, and purples that were t-shirts, button-downs, dresses, blouses, and tank-tops. She eventually grabbed a little navy blue dress with a gray faux leather belt that braided its way around the fitted waist of the dress with an embroidered skirt.

Smiling to herself, Erica laid the dress on her bed, snatched a pair of lace trimmed charcoal leggings from her dresser and her favorite black, suede ankle boots that snuggled themselves around her feet. Tossing the clothing on her bed, the teen began shucking off her pajamas and making her way into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Turning on the shower and making sure the spray of water reached a decent temperature; Erica slipped under the spray of warm water and breathed out a sigh of relief. She grabbed a bottle of scented shampoo, placed some into her hand and began running it through her hair. After washing and conditioning her hair at least twice, Erica switched off her shower and snatched a towel from the rack. Wrapping it around her body, the girl grabbed another towel from the rack and wrapped it around her hair, similar to a turban that people from the Middle East or India would wear.

"Chance!"

_Woof!_

"You mind getting my dress and leggings from the bed?"

_Yip!_

Erica poked her head outside the door and smirked when she saw Chance in front her with the navy dress and gray leggings in his mouth. Patting the collie on his head, the blonde took the dress and closed the door again. Within minutes, Erica had slipped in her dress with leggings, applied a light supply of make-up and was now drying out her hair with the hairdryer.

_Woof! Woof!_

Rolling her eyes, Erica opened her bathroom door and smiled as Chance jumped up and placed his front paws on the sink. Flicking the drying towards Chance, Erica watched as the heat blew onto her dog's fur, blowing back the scruff while he had his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Giggling, the girl turned off her hairdryer and began brushing back her fluffy blonde locks. Grabbing a few hair clips, Erica pinned back a few of loose strands of her hair and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

The girl looked down at Chance. "Did you ever think that I would be able to get this far? A nice home with great foster parents, two little sisters, an annoying dog, a best friend who is going nuts, and getting the role of the star basketball player on the Varsity team?"

Chance barked, wagging his tail in reply. Erica laughed and ruffled the collie's fur. "Yeah, we've both come a long way."

Smiling to herself, Erica exited the bathroom, picking up her brown satchel and slipping on her boots before grabbing her laptop from its charger. The girl stuffed the computer into the bag and headed out snatching up her iPhone on the way. Checking her messages, she found a text from Myra and smirked: **Got a swim meet this afternoon. Better be there. :P**. She typed her reply quickly: **You know it**. Erica jogged down the stairs with Chance trailing right on her heels. She walked into the living room to see Addie and Grace getting their homework put together and stuffing various folders and binders into their backpacks.

Brian waltzed over to the teen and dropped a set of car keys into the palm of her hand. The girl smiled broadly and knelt down to say goodbye to her companion. Ruffling Chance's fur, Erica then wrapped her arms around the collie, pressing her face into his soft coat.

"See you when I get home. Be a good boy and don't try to chase the Fergusons' cat across the street again, okay?" Erica spoke. Chance barked and then raced up the stairs, probably to plop himself back onto her bed.

Addie and Grace were already at the front door, waiting patiently for their designated driver as she came around the corner of the hallway and all three girls headed out into the front yard. Diane and Brian stood silently at the door frame while Erica helped load the twins into the back of the car. She looked back at her foster parents, waving goodbye and climbed into the driver's side of the car.

* * *

**What inspired you to take on the sport of basketball?**

_Well, I found out that ballet wasn't for me. I wanted something more in my life. I wanted to make something of myself, and find a way to my own place of peace. And basketball was my ticket._

**Now, one of your best friends, Myra Daniels, quit the team because of her relationship with Coach Rodriguez. Why do you think she quit?**

_Myra has stuck by my side for quite some time now. She's one of the most stubborn people but she is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. And, from what I see, she seems pretty happy about being on the swim team too._

**From my understanding, you've been in foster care your whole life and that must've been rough on you. If you could have the chance to meet your real parents, would you?**

_I lost my dad when I was a baby and my mom gave me up for adoption. A part of me wants to know why she did it or if she even cared about me. But I also think that she had a good reason too._

There was scribbling and then the interviewer, a young woman dressed in slacks and a blouse, smiled sweetly. "Last question, Miss Houston: What goals to have in mind for your future? Do you plan on playing basketball into college? Or going a different route?"

Erica smiled softly and looked sideways over to Addie and Grace. She paused for a moment before turning her attention to the interviewer, giving the woman a grin.

"I love basketball. I've been playing it since I was nine. Of course, living in foster care made it hard to find siblings who would play it with you and kick your butt while doing it. But as I get older and start thinking about college, I see myself doing something different beside basketball. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I can't wait to find out."

The interviewer stood up from her chair, smiled at Erica before shaking her hand and thanking her for the interview. The woman gathered up her camera, notepad, and waved goodbye, leaving Erica, the twins, and Coach Rodriguez alone in the gymnasium. Addie and Grace hopped down from their perches on the bleachers and walked over to Erica, hugging the taller girl around the waist.

"You did great, Erica!" Grace cheered, pulling herself away from the blonde. Addie did the same, smiling up at the teen as the head basketball coach, Gabriella Rodriguez strolled up. The woman was clapping her hands with a big grin on her face. Her dark eyes were shining brightly and shook her head with a laugh.

"Nice job of throwing them off at the end, saying that you may do something else and not basketball." Coach Rodriguez replied, clapping a hand on Erica's shoulder.

"Of course, coach." The girl nodded as the twins were trying their best to contain the laughter that was in their systems. Erica quickly shot them a glare and motioned for them to head to the exit. The two girls frowned, but grabbed their stuff anyways and left the coach and student alone.

Coach Rodriguez pointed to Erica as the girl began to gather up her stuff. "I'll see you tomorrow, Houston." And with that said, the coach walked off to her office, leaving Erica and twins to themselves.

The blonde sighed while rubbing her face and walking towards her siblings. "Now you see why I hate her so much."

"You can't really hate her Erica. That's just mean." Addie replied folding her arms over her chest as Erica pushed the girls out of the gym. The blonde teen remained silent rolling her eyes and making it towards the east side of the building.

"Get to class you two; I'll see you after school." She shot a warning look toward Grace. "Be good." Erica said her goodbyes to the twins and gave each a hug. The two brunettes jogged down to their first class. Turning towards the lockers, Erica went down to hers and unlocked the metal door.

"See you on the court Erica!" Shouted Tory Newman as the red-head jogged down the hall. The blonde teen waved before grabbing her book and binder. She shut her locker with a dignified _slam,_ then slinging her purse over her shoulder and walking off. She started to make her way toward the math hallway as students and staff quickly passed her.

She strolled down the locker commons, turned right and walked to her Honors Geometry class with Mr. Hawthorne. The girl saw Myra lounging in the back corner, head tilted back while listening to her music oblivious to the other students who were chatting and getting into their designated spots. The blonde took her seat by Mr. Hawthorne's desk and rummaged through her bag to find the last homework assignment. She began to pull out the paper when her eyes looked up to see a tall, slightly muscular boy with black and silver hair streaked with blue and dark grey eyes standing beside Mr. Hawthorne. He was wearing a dark blue and black t-shirt, a pair of faded denim jeans and black sneakers with blue laces.

_Hmph, looks like this guy is really obsessed with black and blue_. Erica thought, her eyes scanning over the new kid.

The boy let out a laugh at one of Mr. Hawthorne's corny Geometry jokes before he was led to the seat in front of Erica. The new boy locked eyes with the blonde making her lower her head with cheeks flushing a light pink as Mr. Hawthorne strode up in front of the class as the final bell rung. Students were now in their seats, Myra attempting to be a "good girl" and Erica trying to hide her blush.

"Students, we have someone new in our class. Jesse, why don't you come up and introduce yourself?" Mr. Hawthorne motioned for the young man in front of Erica to step forward. The boy, Jesse, stood up from his desk and walked over to the front.

He let out a nervous chuckle before sending a wave to the class. "Uhm, like Mr. Hawthorne said, my name is Jesse Blue. Kind of a weird last name, I know. Uh, I just moved from New York and never really thought I would end up in a desert town in the middle of nowhere like Jasper." He spoke with a laugh.

Most of the class laughed at his joke while few of the girls sighed dreamily as the boy scratched the back of his head, trying his best not to be awkward. Erica folded her arms over her chest and shook her head, seeing how pathetic some of the girls were. She ignored the rest of what the boy had to say until he sat down in front of Erica, turning his head and holding out a hand. Erica eyed the boy's very bright blue streak dyed in his hair for a moment before she smiled and took the offered hand, which was surprisingly very warm... like a car engine.

"Jesse Blue."

The two shook hands.

"Erica Houston."

Back in the corner of the class, Myra was watching her best friend and the new kid shamelessly flirt with one another. Her eyes gleamed with joy and mischief as Mr. Hawthorne came around and grabbed her homework from her desk. The dark haired girl smiled up at her teacher before looking over at Erica who was helping explain the latest Geometry chapter to Jesse. With a chuckle, Myra leaned back into her chair and smirked.

_I saw what you did there, Rica. Looks like Hawkeye will have to add 'matchmaker' on her college resume._

* * *

After spending over an hour in Mr. Hawthorne's class, Erica, Myra and Jesse made their way out of the room once the bell had rung. Students fled down the halls, racing to their next class, not even realizing that they still had seven minutes to get to class. As the trio walked down the hall to their World History, they passed various girls clinging onto their boyfriends and sucking face while being pressed against in the various corners of the school. Myra simply scowled and grumbled under her breath, muttering something about _sluts_, _skanks_, and _puttanas_ in the school.

Erica leaned over to Jesse with a smile. "Don't worry about Myra. She's normally hateful towards the cheerleaders, the dance team, and most of the other girls in the school."

"Why?" Jesse questioned as he followed Erica to her locker. The girl fiddled with the lock and propped the blue locker open, turning slightly towards Jesse. She placed her French 3 book into her bag and closed the locker afterwards. The girl folded her arms over her chest and smiled softly at Jesse.

"You're definitely not like the guys at this school." Erica commented, her eyes meeting Jesse's gray ones. "Most tend to be self-absorbed, man-whores who can't keep it in their pants, or just plain stupid, idiotic jerks. Minus the 2% of the male population who are none of those three genres of guys."

The boy leaned down and whispered in Erica's ear, "So I've noticed."

"Oi, Eri, if I'm late to class cause of you trying to smooch ol' Streaks over there I'm going to _very_ upset," Erica blushed while glaring much to the amusement of Myra who was leaning against the locker next to her. She winked at Jesse who was doing his best not laugh.

"I don't think we fully met, since Rica over here is hogging the spotlight." She stuck her hand out to Jesse.

He shook it with full whim. "You must be Myra."

The black headed teen nodded enthusiastically. "Or other names Erica likes to call me when she's mad or I'm not here." She then glanced at Erica raising an eyebrow. "So I guess you want me to leave you alone now with your _bambino__nuovo giocattolo_?"

"_Myra!" _Erica hissed in indignation as her friend began cackling while skipping away to their next class.

Jesse watched as Myra skipped down the hallway and then turned to the red-faced blonde who appeared ready to punch someone. Erica quietly calmed herself down and then glanced up at Jesse who was smiling at her.

"I apologize in advance for my friend's behavior." Erica spoke bluntly.

Jesse let out a laugh and gave the girl a flashy smile. The two began to walk down the hall as the blue-streaked boy murmured to himself, "Try having a raging medic who wants to throw wrenches at you every two seconds..."

"What?"

Jesse's stride and body froze. The blonde was staring at him with a quirked brow. With a nervous laugh, he quickly gave her the fakest of smiles he could muster.

"Nothing."

* * *

**Authors Note: Alright, I bet some of you have already guessed of who the new kid is. :) If you don't, well, that's a shame. Read it again. There are several hints that imply who it is. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! Don't forget to review!**

**Translations: **_bambinonuovo giocattolo - new boy toy_

_puttanas - whores/bitches_

**Let's just say that Myra loves to speak and cuss in Italian. **


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I own nothing. I own nothing. I own noth- BOOM! Sorry about that guys. My internal brain decided to go all monotone-robot on me. But yeah, I don't own anything. Sadly. Unfortunately. But I DO own Prowl! ….at least his toy.**

**A/N: Here's chapter three everyone! Hope you all enjoy it! Also, since I'm finally out of school for the summer this means more updates! Continue to review and read my friends! **

* * *

There was no denying of how bored history class could be, especially with the windows wide open and the cool breeze shifting through. Several students were drifting off, tilting their heads to the side and trying to catch some extra snoozes. Again, this was Jasper High School. No doubt that anyone would want to fall asleep in Ms. Riker's World History class. Well, minus Erica. Her hand was scribbling across the page, writing down the notes that were presented on the slide while their teacher, Ms. Riker, was motioning to the screen. Being the labeled athlete and hard-working student, Erica was always the one to receive the greatest of grades... in this case, the "A".

Sitting in his newly assigned seat, Jesse was skimming through the pages of his book and frowned when he saw the aftermath of 9/11. He remembered seeing Erica wearing a pair of dog tags but he was not quite sure of how she got them. But then, he realized something. _She lost her father two months after she was born. _He looked over at Erica and leaned across his desk, whispering in her ear.

"I'm sorry about your father."

The blonde immediately stopped her pencil on the page and stiffened. She took in a deep breath and glanced back towards the dark haired boy.

"You shouldn't be sorry. I never knew him." She replied in a bitter tone. Jesse was taken back and slouched back down into his seat. With that stated, Erica went back to writing her notes as Ms. Riker continued to explain the usage of poisonous gas during the Great War.

Meanwhile, Myra had her head in the palm of her hand, her eyes close to slipping shut. No doubt in her mind that she was lover of history... only thing was that she _hated _the way Ms. Riker would teach - let alone speak. The woman was nearly in her sixties and would still ramble on about the "good old days" when she was a young teen. Her white bob, light hazel eyes, and wrinkles were definite signs of proof to show how old the woman... was.

"Miss Daniels?"

Myra jolted from her snooze and sat up. "I swear it wasn't me!"

Ms. Riker frowned and crossed her arms. Myra let out a small nervous laugh, hearing some of the other students giggle behind her. Hell, even Erica was laughing. But it was only out of the playful friendship they had shared.

"When did the war initially end?"

Myra perked."Armistice was called on November 11th, 1918 11:00 in the morning, ma'am!"

Ms. Riker didn't appear to be all impressed; she had to admit that Myra was one of her best students. The older woman let out a huff before she continued on with her class. Myra leaned back into her seat with a satisfied sigh of relief and glanced back over her shoulder to see Erica shaking her head. The girl shrugged at her best friend who in turn sent back a sneer.

For Jesse, he contemplated on whether he should talk to Erica again without plucking at a sensitive string. He rustled up some courage and tapped Erica on the shoulder. The blonde let out a sigh and then turned her head towards the boy who was sending her a soft smile. Erica folded her arms over her chest and frowned at the new student.

"What?" She hissed, trying to make sure that Ms. Riker wouldn't hear her.

Jesse bit his lip. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for mentioning your father. I never meant to offend you." The silver and dark haired boy replied in a whisper. Erica could see the apology written over the boy's face and sighed, nodding softly.

"Look, why don't you come over tomorrow night? I make really good dark chocolate cupcakes. And I can even let you help with the icing." Erica suggested, smiling at Jesse.

The boy nodded and then leaned forward again murmuring into Erica's ear, "I'd like that."

As for Myra, the raven haired leaned back into her seat and smirked at the shameless flirting that was going on between the new boy and her best friend. It was almost too easy. Way too easy. Myra gathered up her things and watched from her spot as Erica and Jesse began to talk quietly amongst themselves, a few laughs and smiles shared. _Well, Rica. Looks like it's time for me to step in. Oh this should be fun. _

* * *

It took another fifteen minutes when the class was finally over and homework was passed out to the students. Many of them were rushing to get to lunch, knowing that the local pizza place was selling dozens of pizzas that day. At only a dollar a slice, it was no wonder that Wednesdays were the best day of the week at the school.

"MOVE IT!"

Both Jesse and Erica were shoved up against the lockers as Myra raced down the hall and towards the lunch room. The dark haired boy leaned over to Erica with a questionable look on his face.

"Does she always do this?" He asked with a twinge of a Brooklyn accent. Erica nodded and looked up at the boy.

"When she's hungry you just make sure that you're not in the way. Myra loves her food and will shove even the smallest of freshman to the ground if there is pizza."

Jesse nodded with a small smile and continued to walk with the smaller girl. _There's something different about her. Not like the other girl at the base. _Definitely_ not as annoying _thought the boy as Erica strolled into the lunch room and jogged up to meet with Myra who was currently in the front of the line. Jesse walked over to an empty table and sat down, pulling out a phone and Bluetooth.

... Okay, that's a lie. It wasn't a Bluetooth. It was only a ruse for its actual purpose was for another reason entirely.

"Hey, Ratchet, you copy?"

_"What?" _A grouchy voice answered._ "I told you not to-. Oh Bluestreak it's you. What's the status report? Have you gotten the photos yet?"_

Jesse saw Erica wave at him before he sent her a wave and smile back with a laugh. "No, I'm getting close to the girl though. She's invited me over tomorrow night, I'll try to sneak in and grab the flash-drive." Jesse spoke as Erica and Myra began to walk over from the pizza stand.

_"Alright, just get back when you can and don't pull any stunts. We already have too many humans at this base, we don't need any more -. Slaggit I NEEDED THAT!"_

_Click!_

Jesse took out the Bluetooth from his ear, stared down at the device and blinked a few times. _That was weird. Then again, this is Ratchet we're talking about._ He then placed the Bluetooth into his bag. Erica sat down across from the boy and Myra sat next to the blonde. The dark haired immediately dove into her pizza, munching on her favorite slice of meat lovers. Erica slid a plate with sausage and pepperoni pizza to Jesse, "C'mon. I got you some so you wouldn't be too hungry for the rest of the day."

Jesse slid back the plate and shook his head. "It's alright. I'm not that hungry." _Cause, I'm a giant alien robot that can't eat meat. What a surprise!_ Erica and Myra both gaped at the boy in front of them and began to laugh.

The boy just stared at the girls and fiddled with his fingers. The two stopped laughing and then blinked a few times at Jesse in shock.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Myra blurted out.

Erica in response smacked her friend on the arm and glared. "Be nice Myra!"

Jesse held up a hand with a chuckle. "It's not a big deal."

And that's when Erica whirled her head towards Jesse with a scoff. "But you've never tried Simple Sally's! It's like the best pizza joint for fifteen miles!" Erica exclaimed, taking another bite of her pepperoni pizza.

Jesse shrugged. "I'm just not a big fan of pizza."

"You've never lived unless you've tried Simple Sally's. It changes you, it really does." Myra muttered, grabbing Jesse's plate and stealing the piece of pizza. Erica laughed before turning back towards Jesse who was fiddling awkwardly with his thumbs. Noticing his discomfort, the blonde quickly finished up her food and grabbed Jesse by the wrist.

"C'mon. I wanna show you something." With that said Myra was left alone at the lunch table while Jesse and Erica got up and walked away. The black head watched as Erica dragged Jesse by the wrist, pulling out of the lunch room and into the hallway.

_Well, there goes my over-achiever nerd. _

* * *

Erica pushed open the doors for the auditorium and made sure that Jesse also got inside of the large, open room. The girl grabbed onto Jesse's hand and pulled him towards the stage. The boy stared in awe at the stage, seeing the various props and backdrops that were used in the play productions and musicals.

Erica folded her arms over her chest and looked at the stage, sighing softly. "I've always wanted to be an actress."

Jesse strode up to a set that appeared to be from the musical, _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_. He admired the painting of the various greens, blues, and purples. The boy turned towards Erica, his eyes filled with curiosity. "What stopped you?"

The girl shrugged and picked up a deep red scarf, running her fingers along the fabric. Her eyes were soft and her voice had dropped down to a whisper. "People kept saying that I wasn't good enough. I tried to get better at acting but everyone just told me not to try anymore. To more or less _give up_. So, when I got older, I picked up a basketball and started to play. It's…been that way ever since. I've never really looked back on it until you showed up."

"I know what you mean. You feel like everyone wants you to be somebody you don't want to be."

Erica met eyes with Jesse. The taller boy walked up to stand beside Erica stuffing his hands into his jeans' pockets.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I was drilled into fighting something that destroyed my family. We thought that everything would be okay, but we were dead wrong. My brothers were fighting a war that would cost both of their lives. I lost my family when I was young and was taken in by an old friend. And now that I think of it, he's more of a father than mine ever was."

"You must really miss them." Erica murmured, glancing up at Jesse. The boy opened his eyes and continued to stare at the floor.

"They were my family, what would you expect? All my life, I've wondered what it would be like if they were still around. Would I still be the same as I am today?" Jesse whispered while his eyes hardened.

Erica glanced down at Jesse's clenched fists and gingerly wrapped a hand around his wrist. Jesse jolted but then looked at the girl's sincere eyes. "I would've loved to have known my parents. You're lucky that you have someone like that around you. I mean, don't get me wrong. I love my foster parents. I just want to know why my mom gave me up." The girl sighed.

"No harm in that, Erica. Besides, I bet your mom had a good reason for giving you up. She might have been forced to but didn't want to. You never know." Jesse replied.

"Yeah. Exactly, I'll never know." Erica let go of Jesse's wrist and then began to walk towards the edge of the stage. Jesse turned towards the girl and then started to laugh. Hearing the laughing, Erica turned her head back and frowned.

"What? What's so funny?" Erica questioned somewhat irritated.

Jesse slowed his laughter and then placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. He pulled her back a few steps and then stood next to her. Erica looked up and smiled when she saw the stage's lights beaming down on her. The girl uncrossed her arms and then glanced over to Jesse with a questionable look on her face.

"Why are you doing this? You just met me."

Jesse grinned and folded his arms over his chest with a shrug. "You're gonna make it big, Erica. Whether you wanna do basketball or set out into the acting business. There's no one in the world who can stop you from doing what you want. Remember that."

Erica walked over to Jesse and lightly punched him in the arm. The boy let out a yelp and began to rub at his arm. "Thanks Jesse. Now, c'mon, lunch is almost over and Myra will be curious to know where we are." The girl jumped down from the stage and smiled up at the boy. "Let's go Bluestreak!"

Jesse's face drained of color. _Scrap._

* * *

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be. Jack and Miko make it sound like it's a torture house." Jesse spoke from the hood of his alt. mode. There was a chuckle from the parking spot next to him but there was no car.

"Forget about what happened to you at school! That girl you were talking to... she called you 'Bluestreak'? Do you think she knows?" Answered a slightly accented voice. Jesse rolled his eyes and then hopped off his alt. mode. The boy glanced around the parking lot before disappearing from sight.

"I'm not sure, Raj…. For all I know, her friend might've said something … Or we could be over exaggerating something due to your paranoia again."

There was an irritated snort. "I am _not _paranoid."

He would have raised an optic ridge if he was able to. "Riiiiight…This is coming from the mech who sleeps with a rifle at hand…"

"It's a _precaution."_ growled his already annoyed companion. "And you haven't told me what you needed me for."

"Oh right, I need you to do something really important… Follow and spy on Erica's friend, Myra." Bluestreak spoke through his speakers.

The invisible car, Mirage, let out a groan. "I have to _watch_ her?" Mirage revved his engine in frustration. Bluestreak started up his own engine and began to pull out of the parking lot. Mirage followed behind his partner, grumbling faintly in Italian as they drove out of the high school's parking lot and onto the main road.

"Oh, c'mon. It's only temporarily until I get the flash drive."

Mirage let out another groan and drove to where he was next to Bluestreak avoiding an oncoming car in the process. "But why can't Bumblebee do it? After all, _he's_ the scout."

"And you're a spy. He scouts and you spy. Fair enough?"

Mirage was silent.

"I still don't agree with this."

Bluestreak let out a laugh. "You don't have to agree with it. You just have to follow orders or Luna may be the one you'll have to deal with afterwards. Don't you think that would be fun?"

"... Sometimes, I wonder who the _real _Autobot leader is around here."

"Would you rather face a raging, wrench-wielding medic named Ratchet, or our commander's femme?"

Mirage thought about his answer. "When you put it that way, I would prefer to meet my demise by our medic." The Italian spoke.

Bluestreak honked his horn at the invisible car. "Just do your job and I'll see you at base, Raj."

The newly painted Mustang drove ahead of Mirage and made a right turn as his partner went to the left. The two went their separate ways for the evening. Now, it was time to see if Mirage could gather up some information. Oh, this would be _fun_.

* * *

**A/N: Does this mean that Erica knows about our lovely Bluestreak? Well, that's too early to tell. Send me a message if you have any questions! Don't be afraid to ask! Oh, and leave a review or two! *looks over to Topkicker26* What's your issue?**

**Topkicker26: FANGASM! **

…**oh right. Mirage. Don't mind her guys. She's normally like this and there is no cure. -shakes head-**


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I own nothing... but a new Knock Out toy... courtesy of my bestie Topkicker26! You are amazing love! Anyways...**

**Warnings for this chapter: Language, Ratchet wielding a wrench and Myra pulling pranks. That is all.**

**A/N: ANOTHER UPDATE! YESH! This really makes a girl happy! Thanks for not giving up on the story you all! I appreciate it and cannot wait for you all to read this chapter! Guess what! NEW CHARACTERS! YAY! Oh, well, enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review or two!**

* * *

Bluestreak would've been smirking right now if he could. In a way, he felt bad for leaving Mirage to handle the wild case of Myra Daniels but then again - he didn't have to feel sorry for his friend either. As he drove through the underground tunnel, he could hear the faint voices of his teammates, but there was something different in their tones. Something was up...

He came around the corner only to see their medic pacing in front of the wall mounted screen muttering. The Mustang transformed to his normal height and began to rotate his shoulders, rubbing out the sore cables. "Did someone pull a prank on Ratchet and put his wrenches in the pipes? ... Again." Bluestreak asked, glancing over to Arcee and Bulkhead.

The smaller femme snorted. "If only that was the case."

Bluestreak walked over to the blue femme and green mech, leaning against the wall. He looked over to their medic who continued to pace and mutter at the monitor. "What's got Ratchet's tailpipe in a twist?" The Autobot sniper whispered to Arcee.

"We don't know." Bulkhead rumbled. "He just looked at the screen and started-" He indicated the now irritated Ratchet. "Well... _this_."

The gray and black Autobot shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me. How long has he been going on like this?"

The femme checked her internal chronometer and glanced back at the sniper. "...about an hour."

Bluestreak chuckled with a shake of his head. "Broke his record."

Arcee raised a ridge. "Keeping track?"

Bluestreak smirked. "Since I first joined the Autobots. Been really fun too. Sides and Sunny were mostly the ones who were Ratch's targets. It was kinda funny to watch the twins get smacked around with wrenches." The sniper glanced over to Ratchet who let out a curse, snatched up a wrench and began to fiddle with his weapon of choice.

"Ah scrap...He has his wrench out."

The three Autobots immediately shrunk down in fear. If there was a sporting event of wrench throwing, Ratchet would be taking the gold. The gray and black sniper leaned over to Arcee and murmured, "Think we should duck, or just bolt the slag on out of here?"

"Quietly vacate the area." She silently edged to the hallway to their left.

And that's when the savior of the three Autobots waltzed into the room - Lunarbolt. The femme was slightly taller than Arcee but no doubt shorter than the Prime himself. She was painted sleek, silver with red and black accents along her frame. The femme placed her hands on her hips, her optics looking over to the tensed medic. "Ratchet, is the wrench really necessary?"

Said mech stopped and blinked owlishly. "I... have a wrench?"

"Uhm... you do have one Doc..." Bulkhead replied. He had to duck as it was chucked at his head. It clanged into the wall behind him leaving a dent.

"Didn't I tell you younglings _not _to call me that!"

Lunarbolt placed a hand on Ratchet's shoulder and patted the tense shoulder with a small smile. "Calm down, Ratchet. You're acting like another Decepticon decided to show their cowardly face. What's got you so on edge?"

"Exactly what you said. A Decepticon."

"Well that's not new..." Lunarbolt spoke.

Ratchet's optic ridges went straight to a frown. The medic glared at the femme. "Not just any Decepticon. _Shockwave."_

The femme's face dropped as did her hand from her friend's shoulder. The other three Autobots froze in their spots. "Scrap."

Ratchet gravely nodded."Indeed."

"Does Optimus know?" Lunarbolt spoke in a hushed tone.

He shook his head. "I just found out myself."

Bluestreak was the first to speak up. "Well, he's going to find out sooner or later. More so sooner than later. At least... that's what I would want."

The medic could only sigh and rub at his sore processor. "Unfortunately..."

Lunarbolt nodded and folded her arms over her chest. The smaller blue femme from across the room let out a sigh. "If Shockwave is with Megatron, it means that we're in for trouble. It's bad enough that he has more mechs than us." Arcee replied.

"Trouble? More than what we're used to?"

"Much more." Lunarbolt spoke.

"... although that's a depressing thought, I also have good news."

Bluestreak tossed his head back and let out a sigh of relief. Lunarbolt rolled her optics at the young sniper sending an inquiring look.

"We have more Autobots on their way."

The rest of the bots in the room lit up with joy. "Who?" Lunarbolt questioned the medic.

Ratchet looked at his data pad and did a double take. He then groaned and ran one of his servos over his tired face-plates. "...the Twins..."

Bluestreak's face instantly lit up. He let out a whoop of joy and pumped his fist into the air. The four Autobots in the room all whirled around to the sniper and glared daggers at him. Bluestreak chuckled lowly and brought his hand down to his side.

"Wait who?" Miko spoke as she and her two companions walked up.

Ratchet scowled as he looked at the humans. "Only the two most Pit spawned fraggers that ever walked the surface of Cybertron."

"That bad?" Jack asked. Bulkhead shook his head. "He's only exaggerating. The twins are not really all that bad. They just like to prank and Ratchet here always get on the receiving end of them."

"Oooh sweet! When do I meet them?" Miko said excitedly which in turn made Ratchet groan in exasperation, "Primus help us…" He muttered.

"Good news, Optimus. The Twins are coming to Earth." Arcee said sarcastically as the fabled leader of the Autobots himself showed up.

"That is good news. We need them more than ever. After all, we could use two of our warriors to help out against the Decepticons." The red and blue leader replied good-naturedly hiding the humor in his optics as Ratchet made yet another disgruntled noise.

Lunarbolt stepped up to the Prime and folded her arms over her chest. "Even with the twins coming to Earth, we're facing another threat."

Optimus could tell that something was different about the femme's tone. He motioned for Lunarbolt to follow him. The two Autobots silently left the large open area of the communications/med-bay and slipped into the hallway. The femme looked back to the room and saw that the team was now chatting about the soon arrival of the infamous Terror Twins as quoted by the late weapon's specialist Ironhide.

"Shockwave's back."

The red and blue Autobot gravely nodded all humor now gone. "So I heard... This is indeed grave news."

Lunarbolt pulled the leader by the arm and aside of the rest of the team. "We have to do something to stop Shockwave. There's no telling what he could do to any one of us."

"We have time to think of something." The Prime murmured to the femme.

The silver femme glanced back at the team she had only been a part of for less than six months. She sighed and nodded. "I believe you. Just don't expect me to be happy when you decide to go out and face Shockwave alone. I'll drag your sorry aft back to base myself."

He laid a hand on her arm. "I know and I won't try to take him on myself."

Lunarbolt folded a hand on the Prime's hand and smiled. "Good." She patted the Prime lightly on the cheek and began to stride away. The femme paused in her stride and turned back with a wicked grin on her face. "Besides, I would really hate to embarrass you in front of the others." The femme chuckled.

The Prime laughed. "Amongst other things."

* * *

Meanwhile, Bluestreak stepped out of the group and walked towards his shared quarters with Mirage who was still out and driving around the lonely town of Jasper. Slipping in the quarters, he shut the door and glanced around the room. The sniper took a seat on his berth and sent his partner a quick message. "Twins are coming to Earth. Shockwave's back. Hope you're not dying of boredom."

There was some faint static then the spy's irritated voice appeared on the comm. _"... You have _got_ to be kidding me."_

The younger Autobot let out a laugh and leaned back on his berth. "I'm not joking this time, Raj. Looks like Shockwave will have to take place as evil doctor this time."

_"Hmm, it was inevitable. The current one they have is more or less like a joke and Megatron's not laughing anymore."_

Bluestreak held his words for a moment before jumping right into another subject. "How mad would you be if I asked you to do me a favor?"

_"Another one, Blue? This is definitely going on your 'You Owe Me' list..." _

"Call him."

The spy was silent. _"Him?" _He asked confused.

"... You know who I'm talking about."

There was a crackle of static but nothing came from the spy.

"Raj?"

_"... You know why I can't do that."_

Bluestreak let out a groan and flopped down on his berth, placing a servo over his forehead. "C'mon, Raj. He's the only family you have left! And as far as I'm concerned, he's been beaten around by Megsy even before Shockwave showed up."

_"The answer is 'no' Bluestreak."_

"Mirage, this may be our only chance to get some Intel on the Cons, do it for our cause. Don't even think about the fact that he's family... Just talk to him. Besides, think of how much it would mean to Hound if he was still around."

Bluestreak had to wait a few moments of silence before the spy's voice cut through the comm. _"...Fine, for Hound. But it will be in vain... Anyway how's Ratchet holding up?"_

"He's not so happy about either situation. Twins will most likely raise a bit of fun around here and Shockwave... well, there's no telling what the psycho-scientist has in store."

_"We'll take him when he decides to mess around. And the Twins will definitely spice up the base..."_

"It'll be like old times, won't it Raj?"

_"Just like old times."_

* * *

Myra panted as her head broke the surface of the swimming lane. _Ugh... legs... Can't feel them._ She lazily kicked towards the ladder, numbly thinking of why she did swimming in the first place. With shaking legs, she pulled herself out and turned around to see the scoreboard. What she saw made her smirk. _That's why. _

Out of eight girls, two of them being her swimming rivals, Myra earned a second place, nearly tying with first. A fine improvement since both of her rivals was now third and fourth respectively. After a few congratulations from the other swimmers, Myra walked over to the cool-down section of the pool, where some of her buddies were now hanging out.

"Hey May-May! Nice time, going slower than before?" A tall dirty blonde joked.

Myra rolled her eyes. "Very funny Andrew."

Andrew just laughed and bent down to Myra's level; the dirty blonde couldn't help himself but shake his head. "You get so worked up on these girls and it drives you crazy, doesn't it, Myra Daniels?" The dark haired girl glowered at the boy in front of her.

She looked around pool and smirked what could be the tiniest of smirks. It could've been named a World Record... But Myra wasn't going to be the bad guy. Just more of the instigator. She grinned and curled her fingers around Andrew's shirt collar. The blonde's eyes grew wide in fear as the girl yanked him into the pool... _SPLASH_!

"DANIELS! WHAT THE HELL!" Myra's head peered over the pool ledge to see her coach, fuming with some of the other swimmers by her side. _Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned..._

She smiled nervously. "He... Fell in Coach..." She tried not to giggle at her friend's face as he pulled himself back out of the water giving her a half hearted glare over his shoulder. She just winked at him and he shook his head in return.

"Why am I friends with you again?" Andrew questioned, looking over at the cheeky-looking swimmer.

"Because I'm like the only Assassin's Creed slash Mass Effect fan around here other than you!" She grinned.

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Of course that's the reason. Why wouldn't it be anything else?" He shot a glare at the girl who in turn held up her hands in surrender. She then climbed out of the pool and together made their way towards their "beloved" swim coach who could have a cow at any moment.

She elbowed him. "Daaaw you love me and you know it!"

Andrew let out a bark-like laugh. "Yeah, that's exactly what love is." He muttered sarcastically.

Myra once again began to shake her head and roll her eyes at her blonde male friend.

* * *

Coach Holly Price was not a happy woman. Especially when one of her swimmers decides to pull a stunt in front of public and in a swim meet like this. Coach Price could only glare daggers at Myra and shook her head. She pointed to the cleaning supply closet and said, "When pulling something like that on MY team, you get to clean the pool. Sound fair?"

"Sorry Coach won't happen again." Myra replied while wincing inside.

"That's what I thought." Coach Price straightened herself out and then sighed. "Alright everyone hit the showers and go home. Be here after school. See you all then." Coach Price shot a look to Myra and then walked out of the pool. Andrew gave his shorter friend a pat on the arm and whispered, "I'll text you later. See ya later May-May."

"See you Andrew... Go kick the Reapers' ass for me." She sighed. "I'm just glad she didn't make me do a 200..."

* * *

Mirage was sore. But not only was he sore, he was tired and bleeding out energon at an alarming rate. He was close to collapsing as he slowly limped out of the secluded forest and towards a main road. He knew that if he transformed it would hurt worse... but he also found out that his comm. was dead. _Great, no back up._

The Italian spy slipped back into the trees and trudged his way to the outskirts of Jasper. Hopefully Bluestreak or Bumblebee, hell, even Ratchet would come looking for him. He eventually came across an ideal area with barely any other cars and transformed into his alt. mode cursing every minute of it as it brought on more waves of pain. Mirage held back his outbursts and quietly dozed off into recharge... not even having a clue of where he was.

Myra sighed and closed the gate behind her. Finally she could go home and relax the night away with a large bowl of ice cream. Adjusting the strap of her swim bag, she started down the sidewalk enjoying the night air for once since she was now fully clothed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a light jacket. Seeing that no one was out, she let her mind wander.

The dark haired teen strode past the sleek beauty of a red machine that was parked innocently to her left. The girl paused in her stride, took a few steps back and began to admire the sight of the beauty in front of her. _Oh, why can't you just be a really hot guy and we get married?_ Myra glanced around the sidewalk, saw no one, and took out her phone. With a grin, the swimmer began to snap photos of the car. _Hehe, take that Rica. Your mystery car has nothing on this bad boy!_

It was too dark to tell the make and model, but she could tell it was a very rare car... well for this town anyway. Getting all the photos she wanted, she pulled up her gallery and scrolled through them in her viewing screen. She blinked after a couple of them, a deep frown forming. _What the...? _In every photo, she cringed at the sight of dents and ugly scratches that stood out on the otherwise gorgeous paint job. _What happened to you? _She wondered. It seemed that this car went through a bad monster truck rally.

Glancing around the sleek vehicle, Myra noticed that no one was coming up to claim the car. Then again, she thought. _Who wouldn't want to claim this car?_ She ignored that thought and decided to make her way around the rear of the car. She didn't live too far. It wouldn't hurt to get this precious piece of car history in her garage. Myra adjusted her swim bag and then placed her hands on the car... it was warm... _Okay, the car is warm and I'm not dead. I think that's a good sign._

Setting her shoulder against it she began to push and much to her surprise it moved fairly easily. _I'll... just hold this in my garage and call the police in the morning... yeah that'll work._

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the underground base, most of Team Prime had fallen into recharge but one mech remained awake...

_C'mon Raj, give me some sort of sign that you're still alive._

Bluestreak leaned up against his berth, staring at the empty berth across from him. Mirage was still out gathering Intel, but there was something different. The spy would've been back by now... so, what was holding him back? He can't be dead... Ratchet would've said something about his spark-signal going offline. The sniper brushed back the thoughts of imagining his partner's mangled body and energon staining his own paint.

He sighed. "Wherever you are, you better come back fragger..." The mech muttered.

"Who better come back?" Bluestreak visibly jumped at the sound of Lunarbolt's voice at the door.

The femme was leaning against the door frame with her arms placed neatly over her chest. The sniper let out a sigh and ran a servo over his tired face plates. The silver colored femme nodded and took a seat next to Bluestreak. "You don't have to worry about him, Bluestreak. Mirage is a well-capable mech of handling things on his own."

"Yeah I know." He waved her off. "He would be insulted about me worrying about him."

"Exactly." The femme replied.

She saw the sniper lower his head and sigh again. Lunarbolt gently laid a hand on the younger bot's shoulder. Bluestreak glanced at the femme before smiling softly. "Thanks. You've been a big help since they died." The femme knew who the sniper was talking about. She nodded and patted the mech on the arm. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'm always here and so is Optimus."

He inclined his head in respect grateful for the caring thought. "I keep that in mind every day."

Lunarbolt gave the sniper a one-arm hug before standing up and making her way out of the room. But before she left, the femme looked back at the Autobot and caught optic of a data-pad with a photo of Prowl, Jazz, and a young Bluestreak in their arms. Lunarbolt smiled fondly of the memory and said, "Get some recharge. You still have school tomorrow." And with that said, Lunarbolt left the sniper to himself.

Bluestreak snorted. "Yes Mother." He muttered with a mock salute. The sniper flopped back onto his berth and then glanced over to the empty berth next to him.

_Get back here soon, Raj._

* * *

**A/N: Wow, look at that. Another update! -le gasp- It's a miracle! Just kidding. I know, I know, I've been kinda lazy lately. Plus, I've been really busy since I've been going to the allergy doctor to get shots. I hate them, I really do. But thanks for not giving up on the story! :) REVIEW GUYS! It gives me motivation and something to do!**

**Topkicker26 (AKA the Editor/Co-writer): PLEASE THEY'RE LIKE ENERGON TO US!**


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. Sadly. But no matter, onto the story, right guys?**

**A/N: Well, last chapter was a big eye-opener for some. We got to meet some a new character, Lunarbolt. I sorta portray her as Prime's partner in crime. And that Mirage has some unresolved tension with some unknown mech. Maybe that will be revealed this chapter… Time to find out.**

**Warnings: Violence, mentions of character death, and Miko prying into Mirage's life. No surprise there. **

* * *

**(Also, this chapter is tied in with the previous chapter. This explains the injuries Mirage sustains.)**

Outside the enclosed pool deck, in a parking space far back in the lot, a cherry red sports car sat. To say his duty was boring would have been an understatement. This was an agonizingly slow process, waiting for the one despised person amongst an even more despised race. Seeing that it was near the end of the meet due to the large crowd now moving outside the fence, the car rose on its wheels searching for a particular person. But the minutes went by and still no sign of her which irritated Mirage to no end.

Meanwhile, Knock Out was a mech who got bored very easily. And this would be one of those times. He sat on the outskirts of the forest with nothing to do. The Decepticon medic could've rolled his optics but instead revved his engine and drove out onto the road. _Time for a family reunion. _The medic thought as he tore through the highway and straight towards the tiny town of Jasper. Oh this was going to be fun.

"Where oh where are you?" Mirage muttered. He scanned the area and much to his disbelief she was still inside! _CLEANING_ of all things! _A troublemaker eh?_ He chuckled.

Knock Out slowed his speed and stopped at a red light. He scanned the area and could've smirked. Well, well, well, look at what we have here. The medic wanted to laugh when he found the Autobot spy in a parking lot, not too far from where he was stopped. Knock Out waited for the light to switch to green and then drove past the parking lot. He honked the horn and then let out a screech of tires before pulling off the road and making a sharp turn, heading straight for the highway. _Time for a chase. Let's see who wins this time._

Mirage stiffened. _It can't be_... Out of all the bad luck he could have... _HE_ shows up! A taunting honk drifted towards him as an extremely obnoxious Aston Martin drove by. In answer a snarling engine started. "Since I'm stuck out here anyway I may as well put myself to some use." He silently growled before racing out of the parking lot and swerving after his target.

Knock Out looked back through his left mirror and chuckled through the radio. It looks like his day was going to turn out very well in the end. The flashy car behind him was tailing him and gaining speed but that was normal. The Decepticon revved his engine and pushed forward, picking up the highway under his tires as he sped ahead.

Of course he would be first. Why would Mirage think any different? _Hasn't changed much._ He chuckled grimly with a rev of his engine.

Knock Out swerved his tires and entered the dense forest, sending a trail of dust and dirt to the sports car behind him. An insult? Maybe. The Aston Martin revved the powerful engine under his hood and then transformed to reveal a smirking Knock Out. The Decepticon waited patiently for his opponent with his optics trained on the sports car coming towards him.

The other red car swerved and neatly flipped shifting into a taller leaner mech with glaring optics. "You have some nerve." He growled, his optics burning with anger.

Knock Out scoffed and frowned at the Autobot spy in front of him. "Nice to see you too." The Decepticon muttered with a roll of the optics. The medic folded his arms over his chest and then began to examine his claws as if they had dirt on them.

"What do you want?" Mirage was itching to get his blades out but he remembered what Bluestreak had said.

Knock Out glanced at the Autobot, giving the spy a brief scan. He could tell that the red Autobot was itching for a fight. The medic debated about his options and then clicked his tongue. "I believe you and I have a fight that has been way overdue, am I right, Mirage?"

"You? A fight? Ha, don't make me laugh." Mirage scoffed, with a roll of his optics.

Knock Out let out a snarl, his ruby optics burning into Mirage's blue ones. The medic retracted back on his anger before giving the Autobot a fake smile. He knew exactly what button to push next. "What? I thought I would've expected more from my brother, right _Raj_?"

"You have no right to call me that." Mirage replied, his voice dripping with vehemence. "Not after what you did."

Knock Out leaned back and let out a laugh. "What happened on Cybertron doesn't change the fact that we're related, Mirage. Then again, I'm not even sure if little Hound knew about us, did he?" The Decepticon grinned with a evil glint in his optics.

At Mirage's sides he clenched his shaking fists trying not to strike at the one face he had been dreading to see since he first joined the Autobots. "Hound was a good mech, unlike you." He ground out, remembering of his late partner.

"Right, of course he was. After all, all Autobots are good and all Decepticons are evil! Isn't that right?" Knock Out spat. His optics had now turned a darker shade of red, different then what Mirage was used to seeing.

"You know I didn't join the Autobots lightly." He replied stiffly. "And I could never forgive the Decepticons for what they had done."

Knock Out shook his head with a small chuckle. "You couldn't forgive the Deceptions, or you couldn't forgive me? Which one is it, Mirage?"

He threw a glare his direction. "Both. You joined them! Even _after_ what happened!"

Knock Out appeared to be offended. The Decepticon medic thought about reaching out to comfort his brother but he decided against it. He stood straight and stared at the Autobot in front of him. "Mirage, I know you blame me for what happened and you have every right to be upset with me. But you have no idea how much it has haunted me too." Knock Out paused, realizing that he couldn't reveal too much. The medic cleared his throat and glanced up at his brother. "At least you don't have to be Megatron's punching bag."

"Right as if you're really sorry." Mirage replied looking away. "If you had cared, you would have stopped them!"

"I wasn't going to let them kill you too, Mirage. Believe it or not." Knock Out murmured quietly. The Decepticon turned his back and slowly began to walk away from his Autobot brother. There was a pang in his spark - hell, even Decepticons could feel emotions. Including hurt.

Mirage blinked and looked his direction remembering what Bluestreak had asked him. "Then why do you fight for the wrong side?"

Knock Out's helm shot up when he whirled around to hear a hissing sound close by. "You didn't bring any one of your Autobot friends, correct?" The medic slowly turned back to face his brother with a look of concern.

"Does it look like it?" Mirage growled in annoyance.

Knock Out glared before the hissing noise came closer to the brothers. The Decepticon whipped out his lance out, holding it up in a defensive position. Something wasn't right about this.

"It seems we will fight another time." Mirage took up a fighting pose.

And that's when both of the mechs' fears came true. Slinking up into view, the infamous mech with the one optic couldn't wipe the evil smirk off his face. The mad scientist looked directly at Knock Out who hid his fear with a mask. "It seems that you are not that useless as Megatron thinks you are, Knock Out. His leadership will be pleased when you bring in an Autobot spy to add to his collection." Shockwave laughed, revealing a pair of multiple blades attached to his arms.

Mirage threw a glare towards Knock Out's direction before resuming his pose. "Over my offlined body!" He hissed.

"Oh, that can be easily arranged." And with that said, Shockwave dashed forward, swiping a blade towards Knock Out who deflected it and threw a swing at the scientist. The Decepticon growled at the younger mech before glancing over and throwing his energy into defeating Mirage.

Said mech deflected the blow while neatly ducking the second one that came after and thus started a deadly dance of swordplay.

Knock Out ducked down as another swipe of Shockwave's blades came close to his spark. The Decepticon looked over at his brother who was easily fighting just as hard as the next mech. Maybe the Autobots _had _taught him something.

Twirling his sword so that it ran parallel with its twin Mirage slammed it into the bigger mech's side before spinning away and kicking at the knee joint.

Shockwave let out a grunt but that didn't stop the scientist. Knock Out was coming to his left and had to find a way to injure both mechs... Shockwave grinned before punching Mirage who came in low to attack again. The larger mech slashed his blade across the back of the spy's shoulder, energon staining the blade afterwards. He dove towards Knock Out who brought up his spear to shield a blow but was caught off guard to a pain in his side. The medic let out a howl in pain and collapsed onto the ground, pressing a hand to his bleeding wound.

Shockwave snarled down at the medic and whispered, "Wait until Lord Megatron is finished with you."

Two blasts from a plasma pistol slammed into the back of his helm. Mirage gritted his dental plates as he continued backing up shooting. "Finish what you started coward!"

Shockwave turned to Mirage. "In due time, but I think my master will want a few words with your pathetic excuse of a brother first. Until the next time, Autobot." The scientist snatched Knock Out roughly by the neck, cutting off his air flow. The medic struggled to breathe, clawing at the scientist's grip around his neck. Shockwave whirled his hand and launched several blades at Mirage, which found their targets to his arms and legs. When the glow of the ground bridge appeared, Shockwave chuckled darkly at the Autobot spy before dragging Knock Out through the bridge... and just like that, they were gone.

* * *

Mirage grunted and coughed as he fell to his damaged knees which lead to a wave of cursing. _And that was the fabled Shockwave_. He cursed again as he pulled out the splinter-like blades that decorated his armor. Energon started pooling out as he finally removed the last one. Weakly he got to his feet, wobbling somewhat. Stabilizing himself, Mirage started walking slowly back to the street. _Have... to.. get.. to base..._ He panted.

* * *

As for Knock Out, when he and Shockwave exited the bridge, the medic was thrown onto the deck where his optics saw the large feet of Megatron in front of him. Energon seeped through Knock Out's claws as the Decepticon war lord bent down to see his medic. Ruby optics of hatred and blood-lust locked onto Knock Out's fear-filled ones. "Shockwave, leave me to deal with my medic." With a nod, the scientist left the command deck with a smirk on his face plates. As he turned the corner to his lab, he could hear Knock Out's screams of agony throughout the ship. It was music to his audio receptors.

By the time Megatron was finished with the medic, Knock Out had lost plenty of energon before Hook, another medic, came into the command deck as Megatron left him in a pool of blue energon. The smaller medic sighed, seeing the sight of Knock Out curled up into a ball, his claws shaking in fear and terror. Hook could only look at the closed door of the command deck and shake his head. No mech, Autobot _or_ Decepticon, deserved to be tortured like that.

_I'm sorry, Mirage. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mirage. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry Raj._

* * *

Hours went by and yet the unconscious form of Mirage still in his alt mode still slept on. The smaller scratches and dents had already filled out while the larger more nasty ones shrunk in size. Though of course no one saw this due to the lack of light in the space the mech was held in.

Miko watched as Myra stormed up the stairs, grumbling something under her breath of "freaking hot car has to be so damn heavy!" or something along those lines. The Japanese girl felt a grin slip on her lips as she got up from the couch, jogged through the kitchen and slipped quietly into the garage. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the sight of Mirage's alt. mode covered in scratches with dried energon stuck to his paint job. _Sheesh, who picked a fight with you, Mirage?_

There was a muffled groan. "Turn the light off for Primus' sake", grumbled a still drowsy sounding Mirage.

Miko laughed and turned off the light for the grumpy spy. "You don't sound too happy. Looks like someone decided to pick a fight with you and won."

"Ambush." Grunted the mech clearly not amused.

"Well, it worked." The girl muttered, sitting down next to the spy.

Muttering, the car lowered on his wheels which only made him emit curses. "Where am I?"

"My house... well, it's not my house. It's my host's house." Miko murmured.

Mirage barked a dry a laugh. "Oh the irony... I'm stuck in the garage of the one person I have to watch."

Miko giggled and wrapped her arms around her knees, propping her chin on her arms. "That's kinda funny." She unwrapped her arms from her legs and then leaned back. "Well, maybe I can get you out of here."

"Oh? And how are you going to do that?"

Miko grinned. "Myra is going over to a friend's house tonight and my host parents will be out too. With a call to Bulkhead, I bet he would be willing to get your butt out of the garage before Myra and my host parents come home. Sound good?"

"It will have to do." He replied stiffly.

Miko got up from her spot and gently patted the spy on the hood. "Well, you're not dead which will make Bluestreak happy."

Mirage groaned in response, "He and Luna are going to have my aft when I get back." He muttered.

"Well, you have a good few hours to think of a good, lie-worthy excuse. I suggest you start thinking!" The girl chimed. She waved at the sports car and then walked into the house with a shut of a door.

A harrumph was heard. "Humans... I can never understand them. Much less that one." Since there was nothing better to do he lowered himself again ignoring the pain and slipped back into recharge.

* * *

Decepticons were use to pain. Many mechs had joints torn in certain places, limbs broken just to the wires, and dented armor that was beyond repair. Most days ended with a quick trip to the medic, get patched up, and sent back. But for the Decepticon war lord, he inflicted a different kind of pain to his soldiers. A pain that all mechs feared and Knock Out finally understood why.

There were scratches along his torso, scorch marks on his arms and legs, but the worst part was his helm. Knock Out's helm had several dents, scorch marks, and a large claw mark that raked across his face. And with Hook's careful and handy welding, the red Decepticon had very few traces of damage. But there was always the emotional trauma that was left behind in every mech.

Then again, it was the memories of one's own past that kept every tortured mech sane.

* * *

_He remembered seeing their destroyed bodies on the flat surface of a cold, autopsy table. The medic who tried to revive his creators had already given his sympathies and left the mech to mourn. Knock Out couldn't bear to let his younger brother see the pain and suffering his creators went through in their final moments._

_The Towers red mech ran a servo over his carrier's damaged face, trailing his claws over her shuttered optics. His carrier, Whiplash, had various acid burns on her arms, legs, and torso. There was evidence of various kinds of stab wounds with different weapons of torture. Knock Out rubbed absently at his arm, running his claws over his faded armor. His optics trailed over to his sire, Darkbringer. The dark colored mech had suffered stab wounds to the chest and dents in his armor. There was evidence of acid burns from the Insecticons' murderous rampage against the royal Towers mechs and femmes. _

_Knock Out could recall hearing the infamous buzzing from the distance and immediately was told by his creators to grab his brother and run. And so, he did._

_Stepping out of the morgue, Knock Out looked out to see his brother sitting on a bench. Mirage was still a youngling by the standards of most mechs. His red paint job was brighter than his brother's. Knock Out's was a shade darker with more ruby than fire truck red. He was still small but contrary to his size had a large temper to match. Mirage heard his brother's steps near him and he lowered his head even more. Knock Out placed a servo on his brother's shoulder who jerked away in anger._

"_Raj, it's best we go home." Knock Out murmured, his red optics gleaming down at the smaller mech. Mirage's raging blue optics shot up to stare at his older brother._

"_**Home**__? What home?" Mirage screamed. "I want them back!" The youngling stood up from his spot on the bench and glowered at Knock Out._

_Knock Out stepped in front of his brother, trying to prove his own worth. "I was told to keep you safe! And I did, you ignorant little brat! You're safe and that's what matters. You can't blame me for their deaths!" The red mech snapped back at the youngling. _

_Mirage shrunk back at his brother's voice before he let out a cry and began to hit his brother with his tiny fists. Knock Out didn't move from his position. How could he when hearing his little brother's cries tore him to pieces?_

"_It's not fair! You should've died too! I WANT THEM BACK! I HATE YOU! I'll never forgive you! I HATE YOU KNOCK OUT!"_

* * *

**A/N: I feel like I just killed a part of Knock Out's childhood. Man, I'm such a terrible person. But, on the good note… I updated! Hopefully that made some people happy! Anyways, it might be a while before another update because I have summer reading to finish up that I've been procrastinating… Again, very terrible. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review!**


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. -sobs-**

**Author's Note: HEY LOOK! WHAT'S THIS! ANOTHER UPDATE? BUT SO SOON! Why yes. Well, here you go everyone! Another chapter for you lovely people!**

**Warnings: Language, Mirage being a pissy-faced spy, and Myra being... herself.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

After an exhausting day of school, basketball practice, and still managing to have enough energy to start making dinner for Jesse and Myra, Erica twirled around the kitchen, her iHome blasting out to Jason Aldean's "She's Country" and Chance barking in the background. The Border Collie was sitting on his favorite dining room chair while watching his master sing and dance along to her favorite country hits.

_Brother she's all country, shoot,  
From her cowboy boots to her down home roots  
She's country,  
From the song she plays to the prayer she prays  
That's the way she was born and raised,  
She ain't afraid to stay country  
Brother she's country_

She was bobbing her head to the tunes when she heard the microwave oven let out a _ding!_ The blonde looked up to see her garlic bread done and nicely toasted from the window. She turned off her music and slipped a glove on her hand. Taking a deep breath, Erica pulled out the buttered bread with the glove and laid the tray on the counter.

Hearing a '_ping!' _from the counter top, Erica grabbed her iPhone from the table and scrolled through her messages, her eyes catching onto the recent text from Myra.

**Hey, may be a bit late. Has blue-streak boy arrived yet?**

Scowling, Erica typed back her reply. **No. He hasn't. Now hurry up! I have no experience with Italian food and need your help! I BURNT THE DAMN PASTA!**

After a few moments, the blonde heard her phone vibrate form the new message. The girl pulled it up and read through it: **-_- You do need my help. I'll be there soon. Besides, what would you do without me, Rica? LOL**

Erica looked down at Chance and smirked. "Sometimes she can be a huge pain in my ass but I'll have to admit, she does come in handy with Italian food." The dog barked his reply as the teen ruffled his fur before turning back to her preparation for dinner.

* * *

Sitting outside of the Carson household, the same Mustang that Erica had seen two days ago was back and parked on the curb. There appeared to be no driver until a hand revealed itself out of the window. The hand grabbed onto the handle of the Mustang and propped the door open. Jesse, better known to his fellow Autobots as Bluestreak, crawled out of his alt. mode and closed the door behind him. He reached through his back window and pulled out a bouquet of lilies, white and orange, before smiling at his work. The dark haired holoform looked up at the home in front of him and wiped his hands on the front of his jeans.

As he began to walk up towards the house, he could hear the faint static of a radio in his ear. He fiddled with the small hearing aide. And on the other side of this piece of technology was a very eager Miko and tech-savvy Raf who were both sitting on the couch in the Autobot base.

"C'mon Blue, it's not like you'll dump spaghetti sauce on her."

Raf smacked Miko on the arm and earned a yelp from the pink-streaked haired girl. "Don't listen to Miko. She has no idea what she's talking about. You'll be fine, Blue."

The two heard a laugh come out of the other Autobot. _"Thanks for helping me out you two. I just need to get that flash-drive and I'll be gone."_

"Just don't forget about the lilies!" Raf called out. Miko sent the smaller boy a quizzical look. Raf quickly explained his reasoning; "It would be too cliché to have roses. So, we got the next best thing."

Miko nodded at the techie's logic. "Now that you put it that way... it makes sense."

_"Maybe I should turn back and try this tomorrow..."_

"NO!"

The Autobot sniper jolted back at the shouts and then clicked his tongue. _Okay… that didn't seem to work at all. _

Miko looked down at Raf. "Think you can handle it here? I have a spy in my garage that I need to go pick up." Raf waved off the girl who in turn took her leave.

* * *

Mirage_ hated_ to be kept waiting. Nearly an _hour_ had passed already and still there was no sign of Miko and Bulkhead. _Of all the days those two have been late to.._ He sullenly grumbled to himself. _….why now? I'm stuck in this thrice damned glitch mouse sized rat infested garage that is fragging filthier than the Gladiatorial Pits back in Kaon. These humans DO NOT understand the concept of open space! How in Primus' name do they even live with all this junk in their garage? _He continued to rant but then heard an engine turn into the driveway. _... Wait, is that them?_

Sure enough the garage door that was locked on the outside, slid upward to show Miko standing in the driveway backlit by Bulkhead's headlights.

"What took you so long?" Mirage irritably revved his engine as he rolled forward anxious to start driving again.

The girl secured the door and stepped out of the way. "Sorry we got.. lost." Bulkhead replied almost sheepishly.

"Lost? _Lost? _You live here!" The red mech scoffed at Miko who only scowled in return.

"Yeah, well I don't pay attention all the time all right?"

The spy snorted and rolled out of the garage. He then started his engine and turned left.

"Where are you going?" Bulkhead rumbled. "Shouldn't you be getting repairs?"

But Mirage was already gone.

Miko folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the large green truck. She shook her head. "And not even a 'thank you.'" Miko grumbled.

* * *

Bluestreak shook his human-like head and continued up the path before knocking on the door. He slipped the flowers around his back and waited quietly. The holoform took two steps back before he heard barking behind the door. With a quick unlocking of the door, Erica appeared at the doorway with an apron around her waist. There was a few dustings of flour on the girl's nose and cheeks, proving that she had done some baking within the last few minutes.

"Hey Jesse, come on in."

The holoform slipped into the house as Erica closed the door behind him, before her eyes caught sight of the lilies in his hands. Bluestreak smiled softly at the blonde and handed her the lilies, "Thought you would like these."

Erica eyed the lilies. "Did Myra tell you that I liked lilies?"

_No, two humans named Raf and Miko hacked into your Facebook and figured out that you liked lilies. _

"More of a lucky guess. I thought roses would be too cliché so I kinda went with the next best thing." Bluestreak replied with a sheepish grin.

He scratched the back of his head and then straightened out his black vest. The girl made a quick body scan of her friend's appearance; he was wearing a navy blue button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a black vest, dark blue jeans, and black Converse. Erica took a deep breath into the flowers and motioned for the holoform to follow her. Bluestreak breathed out a sigh of relief and walked behind Erica, looking up at the pictures that were on the wall. Several were of the Carson family before Erica had come into their lives but then there were many of Erica included into the family.

_"Remember, dinner, desert, flash-drive, and then get out of there."_ came Raf's voice through the hearing aide.

"Don't remind me." Bluestreak murmured, following behind Erica.

"So, how do you like Jasper so far?" Erica asked as she and Bluestreak entered the kitchen.

The holoform shrugged. "It's a desert town in the middle of nowhere. A couple of shops, a Wal-Mart, and a gas station with that creepy hobo named Billy. What would you expect from this place?" He said, with a motion of shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, good point there."

Erica swiftly placed the lilies into a vase on the table and slipped off her apron, revealing her chic, navy blue dress with open-shoulders, and black peep-toe heels. She fluffed out her hair and let out a shrill whistle which resulted in barking and Chance racing down the stairs. The black and white Border Collie immediately went up to Bluestreak who instantly froze in fear as the dog began to sniff at his jeans and shoes. The Border Collie found that he wasn't a threat and retreated to Erica who bent down to ruffle her companion's fur.

"Jesse, this is Chance." Erica spoke, indicating the dog. Bluestreak nodded and waved to the dog who in turn responded with a loud bark.

"Nice to meet you Chance." The holoform stammered. _Don't kill me, dog. Don't kill me, dog. I'm just a giant robot who wants to get a flash-drive from your owner. So, once again, please don't kill me._ He raked a hand through his messy locks, smiling lightly at the dog.

Erica could see the discomfort in her friend's eyes and then shooed Chance out of the kitchen. She folded her arms over her chest and then bit her lip.

"Uhm, if you want I can give you a tour of the house since Myra normally lets herself in anyway." The blonde spoke, strolling up to the boy.

"I'm concerned that you leave your house open to complete strangers even if Myra _is _your best friend. You never know if she'll randomly come into your house, with a knife and start stabbing the throw pillows on the couch." Bluestreak replied.

Erica stared at the boy with a shocked expression. Bluestreak immediately saved himself by coughing loudly and clearing his throat. "Sorry. Old habit, I sorta have the tendency to ramble off topic and I'm just gonna shut up before I make a fool out of myself." The holoform muttered. Erica slowly nodded with a grin. Bluestreak moved aside to let Erica lead the way through the giant house. The shorter teen held out a hand and blushed when Bluestreak interlaced their fingers together before starting their tour.

* * *

Myra shivered at the cold Nevada air, pulling her jacket tighter around her to cover the dark purple spaghetti strapped dress. To complete her look, she wore a pair of black flats since the girl had no intention of wearing heels. She cursed under her breath, muttering that Erica would pay for making her wear a dress for such a lowly occasion as letting the new kid in school come over for pasta and cupcakes. Then again, Erica did make really good cupcakes.

But where she excelled at baking, her friend's skills at cooking were notorious for nothing but disaster. If Myra didn't know any better she would say that Erica even burns water!

Myra let out a laugh into the night, thinking about her friend burning water and just shook her head. "Oh, you are so lucky that I am doing this for you, Erica." The dark haired girl murmured, making another turn to walk on Erica's street_. I better get an extra cupcake too. I was able to get out of babysitting the She-devil for you._

'The She-devil' was no sibling of hers but just a foreign exchange student from Japan named Miko Nakadai. Oh how Myra loathed her!

The girl strode up to Erica's house and then frowned. _I am **so** getting an extra cupcake. _

* * *

It took the small blonde overall ten minutes to show Bluestreak the house, but the holoform had his eyes set on only one room: Erica's. He paused in front of the doorway as Erica waltzed into her room, the black and white form of Chance trotting behind his master. Bluestreak strode into the room, admiring the photos, posters of basketball players, and musical posters tapped over the walls and ceiling.

"And this is my room. I know I know it's kinda weird, with all the posters and all. But it's still mine." Erica replied, folding her arms over her chest as she took a spot on her computer chair. Bluestreak sat down on the bed as Chance curled up on his dog bed and kept his eyes on his master's form.

"I like the posters. I mean, it's you." Bluestreak spoke, trying to flatter the blonde sitting across from him. "You play basketball, no doubt about that. I see that you have a hobby for photography. You love Broadway musicals and would like to be either an actress or photographer I'm guessing."

Erica smiled, knowing that the boy in front of her just described her favorite things in a nut-shell. "Look, I have a game tomorrow night and I was wondering if you would like to see me play? I mean first basketball game in Jasper and you may get to see some girls cry. That's Myra's favorite part." The blonde muttered with a grin.

Bluestreak nodded. "You know, I'd like that. It might be fun to see Myra go crazy at one of your games." Erica immediately blushed and quickly stood up when she heard a knock at the door.

"That's probably Myra. I'll be right back." Erica quickly left Bluestreak in her room with Chance trailing behind his master.

The holoform waited until he heard the girl race down the steps to get the door and jumped up from the bed. He immediately went to Erica's desk and began to search for the girl's flash drive. He could hear Myra's voice chatting with Erica and making jokes about some car she had to drag back to her house. He ignored the two girls' conversation and focused more on finding the flash-drive.

Meanwhile, Erica's footsteps came thumping down the stairs and she jumped the last two when she caught sight of her best friend who was hanging up her coat. Chance was right at Erica's heels but went for Myra, whining and pawing at her legs. His big brown eyes were begging for a treat.

She narrowed her eyes at him sighing in exasperation as she put a hand into her jacket pocket and flipped out the treat. "You read me like a book..." She muttered

"I think it's only because he likes the treats you give him." Erica laughed, placing her hands on her hips. Chance took the treat and then barked again. The Border Collie again wanted another treat. The blonde girl snorted. "See, told you."

"The more I feed you, the more jealous my own dogs will get, buddy." Myra dryly commented throwing another treat out.

Chance barked once more before trotting into the kitchen and taking a spot next to his food and water bowl. Erica motioned for Myra to follow into the kitchen and then pointed to the stove. "Pasta is right where it normally is. I need to go upstairs to get Jesse." The girl turned to make her leave but then looked back at her best friend. Erica sighed and leaned against the door frame. "Just try to be nice to him, Myra. I really like this guy."

Myra rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen. "Okay so no poisoning the food got it."

Erica smiled. "Thank you Hawkeye!"

* * *

_"Blue? What are you doing? I thought you were going to wait until AFTER dinner to get the flash-drive! Wasn't that your plan?"_ Raf's voice chimed as Bluestreak went through some of the desk drawers.

"It was. Not anymore. I need to get these pictures deleted so Ratchet doesn't find out. I think I would rather deal with Prime's punishment instead of Ratchet's." The holoform spoke through the hearing aide. "I have a feeling that I would be dealing with A LOT of wrenches…"_  
_

When he couldn't find the device, he cursed under his breath and then froze when he heard footsteps come up the stairs. Quickly, he found the girl's laptop and saw the flash drive was still connected to the laptop. Bluestreak snatched the blue flash-drive from the laptop and then opened the window as Erica's voice drew closer to the room. Sending a quick prayer to the All-Spark, the holoform jumped from the window and landed safely on his two feet.

He pressed his body against the house and snuck around to the side of the house. The holoform easily disappeared from sight as the Mustang in the front of the Carson house-hold revved its' engine. And before you could even say, 'watermelon', the Mustang had driven out of sight.

By the time Erica entered the room and saw that her desk was a mess, she was frozen at the spot. The blonde went to her laptop and gasped when she saw that her flash-drive of photos was now missing. The girl sat down on her bed in shock with tears forming at the corner of her eyes. Wiping at the tears, Erica shook her head in disgust. She began to ask herself why Jesse would do this; he seemed like a nice guy... but apparently he wasn't.

Chance slowly walked up to his master's side and placed a paw on the girl's leg. Erica sniffed and stroked at her companion's fur. "Looks like it will be just you, me and Myra tonight, boy. C'mon, let's not put that pasta to waste."

Downstairs, Myra was finishing the pasta when she saw Erica walking into the kitchen with Chance beside her. The dark haired girl quirked a brow at her friend but then frowned when she got no response from the blonde. Erica simply lifted her head and sniffed at her best friend.

"He's gone, Myra. He must've jumped out of the window or something. He took my flash-drive too. That has the only photo copies of my dad's grave…" Erica finished with a sniff. Myra looked sadly at her and went to her pulling her into a hug.

"What an ass." Myra muttered with a shake of her head. "I knew I wouldn't like that guy."

"You barely knew him!"

"And neither did you but that didn't stop you from inviting him over for dinner." Myra scoffed.

Erica ran a hand through her hair and felt a wet nose press against her leg. She glanced down to see Chance's big eyes staring up at her. The blonde ruffled the dog's fur and wiped at her teary eyes. Myra patted her friend on the arm and then went up to fix a bowl of pasta for the blonde basketball player.

"Let's just enjoy the pasta and have a cupcake. Chocolate makes me feel better." Myra spoke with a shrug of her shoulders. Erica let out a laugh and smiled down at Chance. The Border Collie wagged his tail at her before lifting his head and perking his ears forward, as if he heard something from outside of the house. Myra saw Chance's reaction and then went to the door to see if Jesse had decided to show his face again… Pft she doubted he would but if he was stupid enough to…. It would be time to bring out the bat and go all Nebraska on his ass.

The raven haired slowly opened the door and then peered outside of the house. She gazed around the neighborhood and then froze when her eyes stopped on a familiar cherry red sports car.

That _same _gorgeous red, if not _extremely _heavy, sports car that had been sitting in her garage since Wednesday afternoon and was still in her garage in the morning when she checked on it. And now it was only a few yards away from her parked oh so innocently at the curb. Myra stared blankly at the sports car as the engine revved, tore out of the neighborhood and left a trail of smoke behind it. Letting out a yelp, Myra slammed the door behind her and raced to the kitchen where Erica was sitting and eating her pasta. Erica swallowed her food and then frowned at the sight of her frightened friend.

"Okay, you look like you just saw a ghost…" Erica trailed off as Myra ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep herself composed.

"You know that beaten up car I told you about today? The one that I had to drag back to my garage?"

The blonde nodded.

"I just saw it outside your house. It just sat there like it was watching me! And then it sped away! I swear to you Erica, IT'S STALKING ME!" Myra screeched, throwing her hands in the air. Erica sighed and shook her head. She grabbed a cupcake from the plate on the counter and handed it to her frantic brown haired friend.

"Myra, you're seeing things. I mean, it's not like you're gonna see a giant robot walking around and asking if this is the right address." Erica explained as Myra took a bite out of her cupcake. The darker haired friend frowned and pouted as she wiped away the frosting from her lips.

A few moments of silence passed between the friends before Myra took another bite of her cupcake, glaring at the blonde. "Stupid damn cupcake. Have to be so good." Myra muttered.

"Better believe it." Erica smirked.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! School is right around the corner for me! So I may not be able to update as often as I would like. But I will try to sneak in some chapters! Don't forget to REVIEW! You readers and reviewers are amazing!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: -sniffles- I own nothing. -sobs-**

**Author's Note: Welp! Seems like last chapter was pretty intense, am I right? Hope this chapter will answer some questions if you guys have any. And also, if you guys are confused, just drop a message and I will gladly answer your questions... without spoiling the story of course!**

**Warnings: Language, the usage of the Italian language which I cannot translate so my co-author has that authority, and Bluestr****eak having his own revenge on Mirage... (not the way you guys would think... JUST READ!)**

* * *

The next day at school, Erica was waiting patiently at her locker, glancing around the hallway for a boy with a blue streak in his hair. Her eyes scanned over the crowd of students, seeing groups of friends laughing and chatting idly with one another. The girl sighed sadly and then pulled out her French book before heading to Mrs. Benoit's room. Erica walked into the room, took her seat by one of the basketball players, Kristi, who was surprised by Erica's quiet demeanor. Kristi quirked a brow at the blonde and propped her chin into her palm. She tapped the girl on the shoulder.

"Hey Houston, what's got you so upset? It can't be that new kid you had over last night, right?" Kristi questioned to the moody looking blonde.

Erica let out an 'hmph' and scoffed. "I wish it was something else, but it's not." The blonde replied to her friend. Kristi placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder as Mrs. Benoit entered the room to teach.

"Well, he's missing out, Erica." Kristi spoke with a smile.

Erica sent her friend a return smile before straightening up in her chair as Mrs. Benoit began to go over the previous lesson.

But little did she know Jesse wasn't really that far from the school. In fact, he was sitting in the Mustang once again with his eyes closed and his seat tilted back. The holoform was asleep... well, by human standards. There was no chance in hell that Bluestreak would be going to school, despite of what happened the night before. Thanks to Raf, the pictures were gone and he wouldn't have to deal with Prime or Ratchet. Bluestreak smirked but it soon faded from his lips. School would be over in a few hours and Erica still had a game for that night. Question was, should he go?

Well, it turns out that the idiot Autobot went to the game. And Erica wasn't all too happy about him showing up. But that's later...

* * *

_During the time of World War I, mansions in Great Britain that were owned by wealthy landlords were often used as hospitals for the wounded..._

Titling her head back against her headboard, Erica sat on her bed with a large History book on the covers and a laptop in her lap. She was typing furiously at her notes, her eyes shifting from book to her screen. At the end of the bed, Chance was curled tightly up into a ball, his head resting comfortably on his master's bare foot. Erica paused in her fast-paced note taking and stretched out her arms, cracking her limbs in a few places.

"Game night, bud." She muttered to the Border Collie on the bed. Erica leaned over her laptop and ruffled her companion's fur. The black and white dog lifted his head and barked before laying his head back on the bed.

The girl set aside her laptop and stretched her limbs again, hearing the satisfied sound of cracking of bones, in a good way of course. Erica quickly slipped on a pair of white socks and pulled on her blue and gray basketball shorts. Shedding off her tank top, the blonde snatched up a sports bra and pulled it over her body. With a twist, the girl grabbed her basketball jersey and slipped it over her head. The front of the jersey had Jasper High Eagles with the mascot, an eagle in a fighting position. On the back of the jersey in bold white letters, it read: **Houston** with the number 18 below it.

Hearing the sound of knocking at her door, Erica gazed up at the open frame and found Myra, dressed in blue and gray, holding up a basketball. She tossed the object to the girl who easily caught it into her hands and shot it into her make-shift basketball goal. With a light swish the ball dropped onto the ground and thumped against the floor.

"Hey, didn't you invite that new kid to the game tonight?" Myra asked, plopping down onto a chair.

Chance jumped down from his spot on the bed and trotted up to Myra, his eyes pleading for a treat. The dark haired teen rolled her eyes before digging through her jean pocket and pulling out a dog treat. The Border Collie's tail began to wag rapidly before Myra tossed the treat into the air which Chance gobbled into his mouth.

"Yeah and I doubt he'll be coming if he wants to face your wrath." Erica snatched up her shoes and laced them up, tying them securely on her feet. The blonde paused putting on her shoes and bit her lip, thinking about how the two had met only two days ago. There was something different about this guy though... okay, minus the fact that he had a bright blue streak of color in his hair and never appeared to be eating anything.

Noticing how quiet her friend had become, Myra sighed and patted her friend on the shoulder. "Yeah, you're probably right. He would be gettin' a nice ass-kicking from me..."

While tying her hair up into a ponytail, the blonde teen scoffed and shook her head. "Myra, he jumped out of a window and drove away like nothing even happened." Erica replied.

Nodding her head, Myra wasn't going to believe her friend anytime soon. She folded her arms over her chest and shrugged. "So, why the hell are you so hung up over this guy? You can't honestly think that he's cute, do you?"

Erica opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. She was flustered and quickly covered up her tracks. "... If you want me to say that he's attractive for a self-centered bastard, then yes."

"You can't be serious, Erica! He's the one who left you, not the other way around!" Myra replied in surprise.

The blonde whirled her head around to face her dark haired friend. "I am."

With that said, the basketball player gathered up the rest of her things before sitting back onto the bed and exchanging her goodbyes with Chance. The black and white Border Collie barked and licked at Erica's face, making sure that the girl got the message of "Good luck". Pressing a kiss on the dog's head, Erica stood up from the bed and looked towards Myra.

"C'mon! You have a game to win!"

The blonde glanced up at the clock, 5:20 and grabbed her basketball bag from the corner of her room. Slinging it over her shoulder, Erica and Myra made their way down the stairs and into the living room where the Carson family sat, all dressed up in gray and blue. Annie and Grace were decked out in their matching basketball jerseys, shorts, and shoes. Brian wore himself another basketball jersey with **Carson** on the back, jeans, and sneakers. And Diane was the simple and modest one of the family, wearing a simple navy blue t-shirt with jeans and boots.

"Alright, let's go! We got some Hawks to fry!"

* * *

Erica could hear her heart pounding heavily in her chest, with beads of sweat dripping down the side of her face and onto her soaked basketball jersey. She wiped a hand across her drenched forehead and heard the whistle blare loudly into her ear. With a quick jump and smack of the ball, the second half of the Jasper Eagles verses Henderson Hawks had begun once more. It was ironic; two birds of prey fighting for the same reason... to win.

The girl could hear the crowd roaring and screaming as she raced down the court, running alongside her teammate who was dribbling the ball. The other player, Leah, spun her body around, threw the ball into Erica's direction who tossed it to another girl on their team. The girl, Tory, easily made the shot and had scored another point for their team. The girls on the Eagles team cheered as the Hawks girls appeared to be defeated - but it was still anyone's game. The night was still young.

"SHOOT DAMNIT SHOOT!"

... No point of writing in who was screaming that... In the stands, Myra was on the bleachers, screaming and yelling on the top of her lungs. To put it bluntly, the girl wanted her friend to win. Was that too much to ask?

Bluestreak sat a few seats behind her, cringing at the sound of Myra's screeches. The boy continued to watch as the dark haired girl took a long drink of her soda... there was no denying that the swimmer was going to have a sugar rush. Hell, there was no surprise if she was having it now.

On the sidelines of the gymnasium, Coach Rodriguez was pacing back and forth, her eyes never leaving the sight of her players. For Erica and her teammates, it was obvious that the players on the Hawks side were not backing down until final seconds were up. Erica didn't even think about paying attention until the loud horn of the buzzer was in her ear, signaling a point to the other team.

The score flashed across the board: _47-48_ with the Hawks leading by one and nearly a minute left on the clock. Erica felt her heart stoop down into her stomach, but she not going to let that stop her.

_Time to shake these girls up... _The teen jogged down the court, seeing a window of opportunity... One of the Hawks players was searching for an opening and with no where to look. Smirking, Erica smacked the ball out of the girl's hands and took the ball down to the opposite end of the court.

She quickly maneuvered herself for a lay-up, threw the ball into the air. Erica watched as one of her teammates, Kelly, jumped up and smacked the ball into the basket... But that wasn't until a body smacked right into Erica's back. The blonde haired girl let out a cry before smacking her knee onto the floor. The girl heard the buzzer, reminding her that the game was over and that they had won with only four seconds remaining.

_"EAGLES WIN! THEY'RE HEADING TO THE FINAL TOURNAMENT EVERYONE! GIVE IT UP TO OUR GIRLS!"_

Grimacing in pain, Erica felt a pair of arms wrap around her body, helping the fallen teen to her feet. Erica glanced down at her knee and saw no blood or bruising... yet. As for the teen, her knee felt like it was throbbing and increasing in pain as the time went on. With the sudden change of direction and the final shot, the crowd lost control, screaming and cheering about their victory as Erica was quickly led back into the girls' locker room.

"Oh my God." Myra whispered, her eyes growing wide. Bluestreak quickly got up to his feet and watched as Erica was carried off of the court. Within seconds of seeing her best friend go down, Myra was already half-way down the bleachers and shoving people out of her way. Racing down the bleachers, Bluestreak caught up with Myra, the Carson family and Coach Rodriguez who were also heading towards the locker room.

When they arrived, they saw Erica was stripped from her jersey, wearing only a black sports bra and gym shorts. The girl was gripping tightly onto the bench she was sitting on as Nurse Darby was poking and prodding at Erica's injury. The blonde was soaked with sweat and clenching her teeth as the woman began to wrap the knee before the teen nearly smacked her foot into Nurse Darby's face.

"You're going to have to hold still if you still want to walk!" The woman scolded in a motherly tone. Erica glanced over to her foster family, seeing Addie and Grace with big tears in their eyes. The girl sighed and motioned for the two girls to hop on the bench with her. The twins happily climbed onto the bench on either side of Erica and pressed their bodies against her side.

Coach Rodriguez was the first to speak. "Is she still gonna be able to play? She's one of my best players. I still need her for the tournament on Monday."

And let's just say that those words didn't really settle too right with Myra. To put it bluntly, all the sugar that the girl had consumed had reached its boiling point. The dark haired girl whirled her hair around, nearly smacking Bluestreak in the face with a blaze of fury in her eyes.

"Is that REALLY all you care ABOUT? Erica just FREAKIN' took a shot to the knees and you're worried if SHE CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE DAMN TOURNAMENT!? YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING!" Myra screeched.

With a notice of how the situation was going to end up, Brian motioned for his wife to grab the twins to head on outside. Diane nodded and called for the girls to come with her. Addie and Grace both gave hugs to the teen on the bench before being led out of the locker room by their mother. Before Myra could do any sort of damage to Coach Rodriguez's face, Brian grabbed the girl by the waist and dragged her out of the locker room, kicking and screaming on the top of her lungs in Italian_. __"__Lasciami andare__, così posso __insegnare questo__bullo__incurante__di un allenatore di__una lezione__!"_

The head coach simply took that as her leave and walked out of the locker room. Nurse Darby searched through her bag and pulled out a knee brace and slipped it over Erica's knee. The nurse strapped the black brace around the girl's knee who winced at the tightness of the brace. The blonde quirked an eyebrow and clicked her tongue.

"Where the heck do you keep those things?"

The black haired woman simply smiled. "You never know when your sons' classmate gets knocked down during a basketball game and injures her knee. So, in other words, it's always nice to have a knee brace on hand." With that said, the emergency room nurse nodded towards the silent form Bluestreak and left the two teens to themselves.

"Well," Erica started. "You go to your first basketball game and witness me getting my ass kicked."

Bluestreak let out a soft laugh and took a step towards the teen. He leaned glanced sideways at the blonde. "I wouldn't say you got your ass kicked. You just got knocked off your feet is all though the landing wasn't too graceful."

"Yeah, because you're just an expert on knowing how to land on your feet, right?" Erica's glare could not have been more terrifying as her eyes narrowed and glazed over at the teen next to her. Bluestreak threw his hands up in surrender and began to laugh as Erica rolled her eyes, grabbing her jersey and slipping it over her sore body. She winced in pain as the light-weight jersey was on her skin and turned back to face Bluestreak's softened expression.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Erica. You took a pretty bad fall. Think you can make it to the tournament?" Bluestreak asked the blonde.

Erica shrugged and limped to her gym locker. She typed in the combination, propped the locker open and pulled out her gym bag. She was still silent and refused to say a single word to the teen . Bluestreak sighed and made a step towards the girl who whirled around with an angry look on her face. Her eyes were blazing with rage, fists clenched tightly at her sides, and sweat was building at her forehead.

"Erica " Bluestreak was abruptly cut off.

"DON'T. EVEN. GO. THERE."

The black haired teen quickly shut his mouth.

"People in this town are expecting _ME_, a girl with **no** parents and **no** desire to even go in a career of basketball, to win this _stupid_ tournament! All they want is another trophy in their case! I don't want to be the center of attention anymore! I am **SO TIRED** of being that _GIRL_ Jesse. All I want is to follow MY OWN PATH! Is that too much to ASK?!" Erica screamed.

The teen bit his lip and opened his mouth to say something when the familiar faces of Jack, Raf, and Miko appeared by the doors. Erica turned to the three at the doorway, held back the tears in her eyes and marched out of the locker room. She paused in her stride and then looked back at Bluestreak. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"You left last night without even a single explanation of why. I sat in my room that night and wondered, 'What did I do wrong? I thought he liked me?' And just when I was starting to believe that you were being nice to me... Guess I was wrong about you." With that said Erica left the locker room entrance and headed towards her foster family.

* * *

Bluestreak ran a hand through his hair as Jack, Miko and Raf crept into the locker room.

"Now she hates me and will never want to speak to me again. Perfect. I'm just nothing but a screw up now." Bluestreak threw his hands in the air and plopped down onto the locker room bench.

Raf leaned up to Miko and whispered. "Should we tell him?"

"Tell me what? It can't be worse then what you three just witnessed." Jack, Miko, and Raf froze in fear when Bluestreak's normally humble blue eyes had turned a harsher shade of blue. He looked around the three and realized something when he knew that someone else was missing from the trio.

_Mirage._

"Where's Mirage?"

Jack bit his own lip and shrunk back in fear. "Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?" The black haired human spoke to the towering holoform. Bluestreak slowly got to his feet and folded his arms over his chest. Raf instantly leaned back in fear of what the Autobot sniper could do to him in a matter of seconds.

"I'm afraid for either one... But seeing that there isn't much of a point of me taking a risk... Good news first."

Then Miko ultimately decided to open her mouth and spill... "Uh, both don't sound like good news to me. I mean, they seem pretty bad if you ask me."

Both Jack and Raf whipped their heads around to stare shockingly at the female companion. The girl held her hands up in surrender and took a few steps back from the boys and Autobot. Bluestreak rubbed at the bridge of his holoform's nose and sighed.

"What did the fragger do now? Prank Ratchet and get him taken apart and made into a toaster? Mouth off Prime and thrown into the brig? Wouldn't exactly be the first time he's done that..." The sniper muttered, trying to relax after Erica's major breakdown.

"Mirage got into a fight with some Con and is currently sitting in Ratchet's med-bay with some pretty nasty wounds." Raf piped.

Bluestreak snorted. "Serves him right," he muttered.

Miko quirked an eyebrow in confusion at the Autobot. "Uhh, isn't he your friend or am I missing something?"

The sniper raised an eyebrow and backed it up with a laugh. "Didn't you help break him out of Myra's garage with Bulkhead's help? And yes he's my friend, but I consider this revenge. Besides, the fragger did the same thing to me."

Raf took his turn in speaking. "He left you?"

Miko grinned and rubbed her hands together with an evil look in her eyes. "Do tell. I like more dirt on you guys."

The Autobot began making his way out of the locker room with the three humans following behind him. "Yes at a Ford dealership. Before closing hours they brought me inside and locked the doors." He grumbled. "And ol' Mirage just sat there and laughed and laughed. I didn't get out until they opened up the next morning... Sorta snuck back to the base and had to file a WHOLE slaggin' pile of data-pads afterwards."

Jack appeared to be confused and a bit amused at the same time. He shook away the thought of seeing Bluestreak stuck behind glass at a Ford dealership and went back to the matter at hand. "But he's not telling Prime what happened."

Raf nodded at the dark haired teen. "Jack's right. Something's wrong, Bluestreak."

"Forget about Mirage. He'll be fine on his own. C'mon, I'll take you guys home."

"But what about – "

Ignoring the Raf's attempted protest, Bluestreak's holoform continued to walk towards the double doors and outside to the parking lot. Most of the cars had gone by now but there was still a few left in the lot. Jack, Miko, and Raf climbed into the dark colored Mustang and the holoform disappeared when he entered the car. The engine began to rumble as the radio's lights lit up in the dark car.

* * *

One by one, Bluestreak dropped off the kids to their designated homes. When he finally dropped off Miko at Myra's home, he continued to drive down the road until he reached Erica's house. He slowed to a stop and then materialized as his holoform. The sniper stuffed his hands inside of his jean pockets before strolling up to the front door. Scared, Bluestreak thought about running back to his alt. mode and hightailing out of the neighborhood but something was telling him to knock on the door.

Gulping like any teenage boy about to face his date's parents for the first time, Bluestreak knocked on the door. _Knock! Knock! Knock! _

He took a few steps back before he heard footsteps walk up to the door. Biting his lip, Bluestreak watched as the front door swung open to reveal Erica in her pajamas, the brace still wrapped around her knee. The two locked eyes before Erica glared at him. The girl prepared to slam the door in Bluestreak's face before he reached out and grabbed the door. Erica stared in shock at the boy's strength and watched at Bluestreak pulled the door open again. The blonde folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorframe.

Bluestreak sighed. "I'm kinda surprised you even opened the door."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was certainly exciting. Wasn't it? But no matter, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I and my wonderful co-author, Topkicker26, and I enjoy writing it. And just so you all know, next chapter will be even bigger and better. Until then, leave a review... PLEASE!**

Original:_Lasciami andare__, così posso __insegnare questo__bullo__incurante__di un allenatore di__una lezione__!_

Translation: Let me go so I teach this uncaring bully of a coach a lesson!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: If I owned Transformers: Prime, the creators would possibly lock me up into a bouncy box and give me a straight jacket. So... this is why I don't own Transformers: Prime.**

**Warnings: Language, creepy evil Vechicons who really don't like it when Autobots drive away from them, ANGST!Mirage, RATCHET!RATCHET!RATCHET! and Myra being her typical, abnormal, amd random self.**

**Author's Note: First off, this is the LONGEST chapter in B, R, and PC at this moment. Will future chapters be longer? Probably. At this rate, this is only about a third into the story. Second, I hope you guys liked last chapter and judging by the messages from you guys, I can tell that you are eager to start reading some more! And third, if you guys have any questions regarding any of the characters, the story, and just want to drop a random "hello", just drop a message in my inbox or my co-author's, Topkicker26. We will be happy to answer... Without spoiling the story of course. So, without further ado, here's the long awaited Chapter Eight of Basketball, Robots, and Police Chases!**

* * *

Bluestreak sighed. "I'm surprised you even opened the door."

Erica stared blankly at the boy in front her. "Jesse? What the hell are you doing here? I should really just call my foster dad since he's a cop and have you thrown out on the streets." She snapped angrily. Bluestreak's eyes went wide in panic as he threw his hands in the air, trying to calm the angry blonde down.

"Look, I know that last night looks bad. Believe me, it was stupid and I promise that I'll give you an explanation so please... just hear me out." Bluestreak rambled, hoping that his plea would work.

The blonde glared before sighing and stepped out of the house, closing the front door behind her. "Alright, you got a minute. I suggest that you use it wisely."

"I'm not exactly, entirely all what I'm made up to be... In fact, I'm not really who you think I am... I sorta had to get the flash-drive so I wouldn't get caught and pelted to death with wrenches." Bluestreak rambled, his eyes growing wide as Erica's face grew angrier.

Erica's eyes narrowed as she shook her head. "So you just admitted to **sneaking** your way behind _my_ back, making me believe that you were actually being nice to me, AND **stealing** my flash drive?! What the **hell** gave you that right? I thought you were a GOOD GUY!" The blonde barked.

"I know it sounds bad, but you gotta believe me. I am a good guy! I didn't want to hurt you either. I just didn't want to be attacked by the Hatchet either." The holoform replied quickly.

Erica scoffed. "God, you're such an ass."

The sniper sighed and reached out to grab the blonde's arm. "Erica, please, just listen to me!" He cried as he caught her wrist.

The girl whipped her body around and scowled at him. She wrenched free of his grip and placed her hand on the door handle. "Too late! Your minute is up! Now go away!"

Bluestreak flinched and hunkered back in fear at the look in Erica's blue eyes. The holoform opened his mouth to speak but heard the rumbling of an engine nearby. He whirled his head around to see two cars by the corner, hiding in the shadows. Bluestreak looked up at Erica and then heard the engines rev louder behind him.

_Vechicons. Oh joy, just what I needed. _The sniper thought sarcastically.

The holoform sighed. "Look, I'll make you a deal. But you're gonna have to trust me. There's something that I need to show you. You let me do that and then I'll give you back your flash dive." Bluestreak said with a slump of his shoulders. Erica folded her arms over her chest and frowned.

"How do I know that I can trust you? I couldn't do it before."

Bluestreak exhaled loudly and ran a hand over his face. "Fine, don't trust me. Just come with me and I'll give you the flash drive."

Erica took a step back and placed a hand on the door knob. She looked at the holoform and glared. "Give me one reason why I should go with you." The blonde growled.

Bluestreak heard the engines rev again... _Time to play a little game of cat and mouse, Autobot. _

* * *

The holoform looked up to the skies and sent a quick prayer to the All-Spark. _Well, I wonder how I'm gonna explain this to Prime... Hey__ Optimus you wanna know why I'm in a human jail cell? Oh, yeah I sorta kidnapped a human police officer's foster daughter and got arrested for nearly destroying the town of Jasper! Oh, I would be making Prowl **very** proud. _Frustrated and slowly running out of patience, the Autobot sniper snatched Erica's wrist, clamping a hand over her mouth. The blonde tried to let out a scream and claw her way out of Bluestreak's grip but he was just too strong. Kinda nice to be a giant robot with super cool strength. Erica kicked and pawed at the holoform's arms, her cries muffled by the palm of his hand. Bluestreak dragged the girl towards his alt. mode and tossed the blonde into the passenger seat.

"WHAT THE - " Erica was cut off when Bluestreak slammed the door closed, and moved to the driver's side of the car and slipped in.

Then Erica completely lost her temper and exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL? Are you _seriously_ thinking about kidnapping me right now!? I can easily start screaming really loud and get my foster dad out here with his gun in like two seconds unless you tell me what the HELL IS GOING ON!"

Bluestreak whirled his head, his eyes flashing a dark blue. Erica jolted when she saw the furious look on the holoform's face and shrunk back. The Autobot sniper's lips were curled into a snarl and his eyes were shifting to the back of the Mustang. He saw the purple and black cars slip out from behind the shadows and instantly Bluestreak knew that he was going to be in a deep load of _trouble._

The sniper looked over at Erica. "I'll explain it all when we get back to base. But first, I need to get those creepy Decepticons off my tail and get you somewhere safe!" Bluestreak barked.

"Decepti-WHAT? What the freakin' hell are you talking ?" Bluestreak pointed a finger towards the back of the car. Erica's eyes went wide when she saw two sleek looking cars driving towards them. And yet, here she was sitting a car with a guy who ditched her and wearing only her pajamas... this night couldn't get any worse.

And that's when the two Decepticons decided to transform and scare the living crap out of Erica. The girl let out a screech when she saw the giant robots advancing to the Mustang. Bluestreak swore under his breath and gunned his own engine before ripping out of the neighborhood, leaving the Decepticons to follow behind him.

"Okay! OKAY _OKAY_! I believe you now, Jesse! I'm sorry I didn't earlier! Oh my _God_! What the hell were those things!?" Erica yelled as Bluestreak made a sharp turn. She clung tightly onto the seat and glanced over at the holoform.

"Decepticons. Evil robots that want to kill me and the entire human race. Why? I'm not sure. Their leader is a psychopath and is insane _beyond_ a doubt! Oh and also my name isn't Jesse. It's Bluestreak. In fact, I'm not human... at all. I'm a robot like those two behind us!" Bluestreak rambled as Erica stared blankly at him.

The blonde leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. "I'm dreaming..." She muttered. "I'm asleep right now and this is all a dream. I'm gonna wake up and this will be all gone."

As the girl opened her eyes, she realized that this **definitely** was not a dream. She peered out the window and did a double take when she saw a familiar form jogging down the street. "Wait, wait, wait! Stop here! That's Myra!" Erica rolled down the window and popped her head out.

"MYRA! MYRA! Damnit... _**HAWKEYE!**_"

The familiar dark-haired swimmer jumped in surprise saying something on the lines of _'…shit! _She turned around and saw the sight of the Mustang and her friend before jogging over to the blonde. Myra folded her arms over her chest and peered into the window, seeing Bluestreak with a sheepish grin on his lips. She sent him a glare and then turned to her blonde haired friend.

"Do I want to know why you're in a car with the same guy who ditched you by jumping out of your bedroom window? Or should I just ignore it all together?" Myra questioned, sarcastically.

Erica huffed and rolled her eyes. "God, sometimes I wonder why the hell I am still friends with you..." The blonde muttered with a shake of her head.

Myra smirked. "Because, I'm your favorite, remember?"

"Now isn't really the time, Myra." Erica scowled. "There are some crazy, psycho cars chasing us and I need you to get in the car NOW!"

"We got company. And they don't seem too happy about us speeding away like that." Bluestreak muttered with a sigh. He tapped the blonde on the arm. She turned to the holoform who was pointing to the back of the car. The basketball player groaned when she saw the two Vechicons advancing towards them.

"Myra... Just get in the freakin' CAR!"

"Why should I?!"

Erica simply pointed behind her. The dark-haired girl followed her friend's finger and stared at the racing cars that were now sporting cannons on their sides. She opened her mouth but closed it.

"MOVE IT!" She screeched, smacking her hand on the car door.

Bluestreak propped the door open on Erica's side and Myra instantly dove headfirst into the back seat. She flopped down on the leather seats and moved her feet out of the way before Bluestreak could slam the door shut. Erica looked through the rear-view mirror and bit her lip as the Vechicons appeared to be closer than before. She made the move to slap the holoform but only felt air. Myra popped her head from the back seat and two girls screamed as the engine was gunned to life and sped out of the neighborhood… With no driver.

"Would you two SHUT UP for just TWO SECONDS!? I'm TRYING TO DRIVE! And your screaming is NOT HELPING ME!"

Erica and Myra both exchanged looks of shock and panic at the voice that sounded oddly like Bluestreak's. The blonde gulped.

"Myra? Please tell me that you heard the creepy voice too?"

"You're damn right I did." The dark haired girl replied.

Erica swallowed thickly and sighed. "Please tell me that the disturbing voice coming from the car is you, Bluestreak..."

There was a sighing sound. "It's me. It's sort of a plus when you're a robot. You can talk through the radio and freak a lot of people out. That's always been my favorite." Bluestreak spoke with a slight chipper in his tone. Erica and Myra looked down at the radio and then back at each other in shock.

Myra let out a low whistle. "Man, I gotta get me a talking robot for a car." She murmured with a shake of her head Erica reached out to touch the radio but heard the sound of sirens coming from behind them. Erica and Myra whipped their heads around to look past the speeding Vechicons and saw another pair of purple and black cars swerving around the corner.

"Could this night get any _worse?"_ Erica cried out.

* * *

The Autobot base was eerily quiet as Mirage finally pulled up in the main foyer. Though he was sure all the rest of the Bots were recharging, he still didn't take the chance of being seen or being caught in the action of sneaking back onto base. Therefore he had activated his cloaking device, which much to his surprise still worked.

Considering he really didn't want to deal with Prime or Ratchet right now, his first priority was getting back to his shared room with Bluestreak. But that was easier said than done. Even though no one would really see him, if they were awake that is, the recent injuries to both of his legs made it fragging hard to move quietly at all since they creaked and squealed at each step. Add the quiet cursing at random times and the base had quite the racket going on.

The spy made it halfway before he just had to stop due to the wracking pains up and down his abdomen. He gritted his dental plates as he leaned against the wall growling quietly to himself as one of his joints decided to groan very loudly. _Please tell me that no one - _He was interrupted by an irritated harrumph behind him. "You mind telling me why you're up so late, Mirage?"

_Scrap._ Knowing it was useless to stay invisible any longer; he decloaked and turned around to see a scowling Ratchet. "Well... you see I was - "

He was cut off as the medical officer stomped past, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the med bay. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..." Mirage protested all the way there.

"Oh, stop whining, youngling. You're lucky I'm not going to turn you into a toaster!"

After settling the red mech on one of the berths, Ratchet folded his arms across his chest and stared down at the assassin in front of him. Mirage had always been a trouble youngling, even when he first arrived at the base. The medic was actually starting to wish that he had Jazz to help him out... But knowing he was gone and would never come back…

"Mirage. I know that you've been a spy for a long time, but as your medic I expect you to tell me where your injuries came from. I suggest you start talking."

The red mech shuttered his optics and sighed. "I got in over my head Ratchet."

"Over your head? Is that your excuse?" Ratchet snapped. He opened his optics and stared at the floor not saying anything.

Ratchet sighed and rubbed his helm. "Primus, I wish you were here Jazz." The medic murmured.

"You and me both." Mirage muttered sadly.

Ratchet narrowed his optics at the spy. "Mirage, if you're not going to help me then I will remove you from active duty until you tell me the truth. No lies."

The younger mech winced then ran a hand over his facial plates sighing. "Knock Out and Shockwave."

Ratchet stood back in shock with his optics wide. "Both of them? Why didn't you call any back up, Mirage? That was a stupid rookie mistake and you know better!"

"No..." Mirage shook his head. "Okay, technically I got aft handed to me by Shockwave."

"Taking Shockwave on your own was even _more_ foolish, Mirage! You could have gotten yourself killed." Ratchet growled, the medic showing signs of clear frustration. He shook his helm and ran a servo over his facial plating.

"That's the thing Ratchet..." Mirage looked up at him. "I didn't take him on my own."

"You had help?" Ratchet questioned. "Surely not from Knock Out. If that mech is good for anything it's running away and hiding." The medic spat.

"I... I thought the same thing for eons..." Mirage sighed, rubbing absently at his chest. "But... he did. He stood up to Shockwave and he paid the price."

The red and white medic quirked an optic ridge at this. "Mirage, is there something you're not telling me?"

There was a pained sigh. "Ratchet... Could you keep a secret?"

Confused, Ratchet slowly nodded. "As a medic, I am ordered to keep my patient's confidentiality. This only stays between us." Ratchet replied.

He took a deep breath and sighed. "... Alright... Knock Out's my older brother."

The medic stared at the spy in shock. "Mirage..." The red assassin just lowered his helm and clenched his fists. The younger Autobot said nothing. Ratchet stood up straighter. "Mirage. Look at me."

The spy looked back up with seething optics. "What? Afraid I'll turn traitor?" He spat angrily, his optics flashing with pain.

"I never said that." Ratchet scowled.

"Everybody else thinks that." Mirage countered, looking away. "You don't think I heard the whispers on Cybertron? I did!"

_Time to stop with the angry medic and go for more of a sympathetic approach... _"But I don't." Ratchet spoke softly. "Most of mechs and femmes who lived in the Towers were Decepticon sympathizers... You weren't. And your family wasn't either."

"Because I had firsthand experience with what they could do." Mirage shook his head trying to dissolve the memories that were starting to creep in his processor.

Ratchet sighed and leaned against the wall. "Alright, I'll make a deal with you. Since you answered my question about your injuries, I will answer any question you have."

There was a silence for a long while before he spoke up again. "Why didn't you save him?" His blue optics looked up at the older medic.

Ratchet opened his mouth to reply but closed it. He remembered what Mirage was talking about. He knew that the spy was angry at him. "Jazz gave me a direct order. I tried _everything. _But nothing could to convince him to stay alive, Mirage. He had Prowl, a great team of Autobots, and a temperamental spy who never gave in to orders. But Jazz..." The medic spoke softly before shaking his head. "Jazz simply told me that his time was up."

Again, there was that familiar sense of silence."... he was... always stubborn." Mirage finally replied quietly. "Never gave up on any mech, including me."

"I think he passed that trait onto you." Ratchet replied. "You are more like Jazz than you realize."

He snorted. "I pray I don't start talking like him."

Ratchet smirked and then placed a hand on Mirage's shoulder. "I think Optimus would be most thankful. And I included."

The spy managed to crack a smile. "Practically the entire base is thankful I don't have that trait."

"Yes well…" Ratchet started trying not to laugh at the mental image when an urgent message interrupted him.

_"I'm in need of some backup here! I have Decepticons closing on my position! And they do not look to happy to see me!"_

Mirage face palmed as he realize as to who it was. _Why is it always me that has to save your sorry aft, Blue? Makes me wonder what…did he do now? _He then looked up. "Hey Ratchet? How fast can you get my legs patched up?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Erica ran a hand through her hair and bit her lip. Myra glanced back at the four pursing Decepticons and then squinted when she saw flashing lights in the distance. The dark-haired girl's eyes grew wide. She tapped her friend on the shoulder and pointed to the advancing police cars. Erica opened her mouth to speak but heard her phone's shrill ring from her pajamas pocket. The blonde pulled out her iPhone and groaned at the screen: _Brian Carson._

"After tonight, I am going to be grounded for the rest of my life, be locked away in my room and have bars on my window like Harry Potter." Erica murmured as she slid the screen to unlock and answered her phone.

_"ERICA AVERY HOUSTON! GIVE ME ONE DAMN GOOD REASON WHY I AM __**NOT**__ ISSUING AN AMBER ALERT ON YOU AND MYRA! TELL ME WHERE THE HELL YOU ARE AND I'LL ARREST THE GUY WHO KIDNAPPED YOU!" _

The blonde began to mimic a fish and cringed at the sound of Brian's exploding tone. "Uhm... because I'm not really being kidnapped and I'm just being chased by evil robots who want to kill Bluestreak who also happens to be Jesse Blue." Erica spilled. Myra leaned her head forward and listened in on the conversation between her best friend and her foster father.

_"I always knew you had a big imagination Erica, but don't you __**dare**__ lie to me!" _

"Brian! You have to believe me! I would never lie to you or Diana!" Erica cried out defensively. "Okay, I take that back! I did lie to you about getting a B on my Physics test! I got a D!" The blonde heard her foster father sigh on the other line. The girl waited a few moments for the man's voice to poke through the phone.

_"I don't care if you got a D on that test. Now listen to me, if you're in some kind of trouble, it's okay. Just tell me where you are and I'll come get you. I've already gotten ten texts from Diana and she's worried about you, Erica. Just come home." _

Erica bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes. Shakily, she whispered, "I can't. I'll call you when I can." and hung up. She shoved her iPhone into her pajama pants pocket and folded her arms over her chest as Bluestreak continued to speed through the empty streets. Myra leaned over to place a hand on her friend's shoulder but then heard another voice, this one with a slight accent, cut through the radio.

_"Bluestreak? What the slag is going on? What did you do this time?!"_

The sniper's voice rang out from the radio as the two girls listened on the conversation. "Okay, I can honestly say it wasn't my fault! But I got a couple of Cons on my tail and some humans chasing them!" Bluestreak rambled nervously.

_"How did you get the Cons to chase you exactly?"_

Bluestreak sighed. "Alright... I know it looks bad but I ... uh... sorta kidnapped Erica and Myra… And I found out Erica's dad is on the police force and is currently gaining up on the Cons..." He trailed off.

_"Are you a fragging idiot?! Why did you expose yourself?!_

"Technically, I didn't expose myself! They just happened to show up!"

_"Whatever, just tell me that you're driving with the holoform... Wait, Blue, are you currently driving with _no_ holoform?"_

There was static before Bluestreak spoke again. "... No…"

_"Ohhh... you are _so_ lying."_

"Fraggit! Just get your aft over here and help me out! We're partners Raj!"

_"I'm not hearing the magic word in there…." _

"_Please_ get your aft over here to help me out before I turn you into scrap metal?"

_"That wasn't so hard now was it?"_

"Don't make me tell Lunarbolt about what happened with that femme cadet back on Cybertron."

_"…I don't know what you're talking about…" _

"Don't pretend you don't remember. I believe her name was… _Siren_? Wait, didn't she have a twin too? Primus, what was her name? Oh yeah... _Serenade_?"

There was a growl. _"Shut up."_

"Just help me out here and the sassy musical twin cadets will be no more."

_"….Fine. But this is going on your tab!"_

The spy's voice cut out from the radio as Erica and Myra began to burst out laughing. Erica nearly smacked her leg on the dashboard as Myra collapsed in the back seat, clutching her stomach. Out of the two girls and the Transformer, Bluestreak was the most confused.

"What? Why are you two laughing? Did I say something wrong?"

Erica snorted and tried to speak but only bubbled out more laughter. Myra was worse. Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes before she eventually calmed herself and sat up in the back seat. The dark-haired girl wiped her eyes and shook her head.

"'Sassy musical twin cadets'? God, what planet do _you_ guys live on?" Myra giggled uncontrollably.

"Hey, can't blame me for coming up with something that quick! It was the only thing I could think of! Besides, you don't know how bad Mirage was back on Cybertron."

Myra snickered. "I see. So you're just jealous of him because he always got the girl!" She stopped and then went into another round of hysterical giggling. "Or _girls_ in this case!"

_Don't throw her out of the car. Don't throw her out of the car. DO NOT THROW HER OUT OF THE CAR!_

Bluestreak had this persistent urge to throw the girl out of the Mustang and let her fend for herself, but he knew that Ratchet would possibly pelt him with wrenches as if it was a sport. Ratchet would get a gold medal in "Wrench Pelting" and smack the judges to oblivion if they didn't give him the medal either. Just as Bluestreak made another turn, he heard the screeching of tires coming from in front of him and watched as Mirage tore through the intersection. Erica glanced out of the window and watched as a flaming red car sped past them, heading towards the Decepticons and the police cars. There was no doubt that things were about to get _really_ interesting...

_"Alright! I'll keep these guys off your tail so you can get back to base! I'll comm. you when I get back! Oh, and make sure that Ratchet doesn't see you either... Good luck Blue!"_

As Mirage's voice cut out of the radio, Bluestreak sped up a little bit more and headed towards the desert roads that led out of Jasper. Myra looked behind her and then gaped at the red car that was now being chased by the Vechicons and police cruisers.

"HOLY SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA! I _knew_ it! I _knew_ that freakin' car was stalking me! AND _YOU_ didn't _believe_ ME!" Myra shouted, pointing at 'Mirage's retreating form. Erica popped her head from over the seat and then let out a huff.

"Alright, alright, alright _fine_ I believe you now!" Erica turned to the radio as Myra puffed out her chest with pride. The blonde looked out of the window and noticed that the moon had fully risen up into the sky. She smiled up at the moon and then leaned back into the seat. Erica brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knee-caps, resting her chin on her arms.

* * *

"So, where are you taking us?" She asked with her gaze on the radio.

"Back to base. With Mirage providing a distraction, I can get you two in the base and hopefully won't have to face the Hatchet's wrath before he gets back." Bluestreak explained as they traveled towards a large, rocky structure. He pulled off of the main road and made his way to the front of the structure and the two girls watched in awe as the solid looking rock face slid open like a pair of motion-activated doors.

Myra just laughed as the metal doors slid shut behind him. She looked around the Mustang to see lights leading the way towards an open room. "Man... I really need to get out more." She muttered as the Mustang was put into park. Erica heard the doors unlock and the two girls climbed out of the Mustang. Myra instantly went to the floor and pressed her face against the cold concrete.

"I never thought I would miss land so much." Myra murmured, snuggling her face into the ground. Erica pulled her friend up by her elbow and shook her head. The dark haired girl dusted off her pants and sent her friend a grin.

The two looked at one another before slowly turning around to examine their surroundings. As they looked around, Bluestreak finally shifted back from his alt. mode and rotated his shoulder, kinking out a few sore joints. After finishing that, he pulled out a small blue square from a compartment on his hip and then cleared his throat. Erica and Myra turned back to gape at the sight of Bluestreak's massive form. The mech knelt down to the two humans and held up the missing flash-drive in front of Erica's face. He sent the girl a sheepish looking grin.

"Heh, I sorta thought that you might want this back."

* * *

**A/N: Now... after that wonderful update... let's just say that my hands are hurting, my brain is going to explode and that I am about to die from College Chemistry. I hope this chapter really makes you readers happy! My wonderful, sassy, and over-all amazing co-author and I put ALOT into this chapter. Believe me. We have the massive phone conversations and blisters on our thumbs to prove it. Also, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers... if I did, I would be in a major law suit with Hasbro. Why? ... I might have used their characters in some ways that should not happen on a kid's TV show. Let's just leave it at that.**

**Author's Note: OMG! You lovely, beautiful, awesome, amazing, crazy reviewers really make my day! I have been through some pretty bad days lately and I've been going through the old reviews and they just make me smile. You are the reason why this story still has a place on FanFiction and is continuing to rock my world! So, I want to give a big THANK YOU to all those you favorite, review, and follow this story. You guys mean the world to me and my co-author and I could not have made it this far without you guys. So once again, THANK YOU! :)**

**Warnings: SARCASM GLORE, Mirage being a whiny-aft, Arcee being a kick-ass femme like she always is, Ratchet being... Ratchet, and Fowler being the nosy FBI guy that we all secretly love DEEP DOWN in our souls. **

* * *

Question: What would you do if you saw a giant robot, 18 maybe 20 feet at the most, and it just happened to speak the very same language you do?

A little piece of advice, try your best not to faint or scream. The robots _really_ hate it when you scream at the top of your lungs because they will most likely shoot you into nothing but ash.

"What the - " Myra sputtered in surprise as Erica numbly took the flash drive from the giant being in front of them. "Uhmm... you know, I was _kidding _about the whole 'giant alien robot' part!"

Bluestreak stood up to his full height. "What did you think we were? Talking cars that turned into robots or vice versa? I've heard it both ways..." He looked at the raven haired teen with furrowed ridges clearly confused.

"I don't know! Maybe I thought you were a couple of _Knight Rider_ knock-offs except with much, _much_ hotter cars!" She said exasperated and still a little awed. "I didn't realize you were hot cars who turned into twenty feet plus giant robots!"

"Actually twenty feet is exaggerating." He nervously laughed. "I'm approximately sixteen point seven feet in height. The only Bots who are that height are - "

"Same difference!" Myra cut him off throwing up her hands in exasperation. "I wasn't being specific here!"

Erica smacked her friend's arm and frowned. "Myra! We both know that was kind of harsh. Now, apologize to him!"

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to it really." Bluestreak sheepishly replied. "And plus I really can't blame nor hate her. She's only reacting appropriately to the situation…"

Myra couldn't help but quirk a lip. "Not every day when you get kidnapped by a car that turns into a robot..."

"Hey you _willingly_ got in and last time I checked, Blue saved your life!" The blonde snapped.

"Only because I had cannons aimed in my direction. I mean, how would you feel if you have a couple of creepy looking cars chasing after you?" Myra grumbled trying not to smile at her friend. She then perked when she heard an engine. _Hey... I know that engine... Such a pretty sound…_ And sure enough, around the corner came a familiar dark cherry red sports car.

Soon as it neared them it seamlessly shifted into a mech similar in size to Bluestreak. Not even breaking stride Mirage limped past them toward one of the hallways. "You _owe_ me. Now I have to redo my paint job **and** buff every part of my body that isn't _hurting_!" Mirage snapped with a flash of his blue optics. Bluestreak gave the spy a sheepish smile and shrugged his shoulders. The red mech shook his head and then stomped away, grumbling under his breath in Italian.

Myra perked up at the sense of the familiar language and giggled. Both Erica and Bluestreak turned to look at the giggling teen. The dark haired girl simply smiled and pointed at Bluestreak. "He just called you 'a rambling moron who pulls him into your schemes that have the tendency to end badly' except with more insulting words I dare say not out loud."

"Yeah, I know. I get that a lot from him." Bluestreak muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

He looked around the empty base and then down at the two girls. Erica gazed at the large complex and saw an old, dusty green couch with a blanket and two pillows on it. She looked up at the Bluestreak who had a large servo held out. The two girls blinked but climbed into Bluestreak's servo before he walked over to the couch and sat them down.

"You two get some sleep. I'll come back in the morning and drop you off so we don't get caught by the Hatchet." Bluestreak spoke.

"Night!" The two girls chorused. The sniper simply waved back and left without another word.

Myra watched Erica sit down on the couch. She was about to plant herself on the floor when she remembered her stalker from earlier. "Move it." Myra ordered frantically.

"What the hell for?"

"I hurt my back at practice and the floor doesn't look so great for it." She replied. It wasn't an entire lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. But Myra would surely laugh about it later.

"How do you even hurt your back at swim practice?" The blonde said incredulously.

"Back strokes! DUH!"

Erica frowned at her dark haired best friend and rolled her eyes. The girl shuffled from the couch and laid out on the floor. She shot Myra a glare. "If I find a spider next to me when I wake up, I am going to kill you, butcher your body into tiny pieces and sell your organs on the Black Market!"

"Black Market? You really think that my brain would be worth that much money?" The dark haired girl snickered sarcastically. Erica's blue eyes narrowed as her brow furrowed in response. Myra sat down on the lumpy couch after smiling at her friend. "Aw! Come on! But the spiders love you _so_ much Eri!" She giggled while lying down.

The blonde rolled her eyes and then turned her back to her friend. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Bite me. Now go to sleep before I smother you with a pillow."

"Is that any way to treat your best friend?" The dark haired girl only received a glare in reply. Myra snickered and shook her head. "Alright, alright. I'll try my best to be good... Not making any promises though. Good night Miss Robot-Lover." Myra replied before grabbing one of the extra pillows and giving it to her friend.

Erica snatched the pillow from her friend and placed it under her head. She flipped over to where she was staring up at the ceiling and glanced over at Myra. The blonde opened her mouth to say something but chose not to. The girl rolled over again and drifted off to sleep. Myra looked at her friend's back frowning before following suit and going to sleep.

* * *

It wouldn't be until morning before the girls would be woken up to a big surprise... okay, _surprises_.

The next morning, Myra grumbled something before rolling over groggily opening her eyes up. "I never remembered my bed being this, you know, lumpy..." She sat up muttering.

Erica cracked an eye open and moaned, rubbing her hand over her face. She let out a yawn and scratched at the back of her aching neck. "Man, I had this crazy dream that we were being chased by huge robot cars and that Jesse was actually a talking robot..."

Myra yawned and stretched her arms out cracking her back. "Hmph, that's funny. I had the same dream... And that red car I pushed into my garage was also one of those robots..."

The blonde ran a hand through her bed-head hair and then blinked a couple of times before staring blankly at eight giant looking robots in front of her. The girl let out a squeak. She slowly brought her hand down and then glanced over to her best friend, her voice cracking, "Please tell me that you see eight robots that really don't look all too happy to see us..."

Myra had seen them too and was now blinking owlishly too. "Yes... Yes I do see them."

Erica gulped. "So, we're not going crazy?"

"Nope," Myra replied, the fear settling in.

Arcee was the first of the eight to speak. She glanced over to Bluestreak and Mirage who were standing in the corridor with innocent looks on their faces. "So, you mind telling us where you picked those two up?"

"Hold up! I got a question: Who's _us_?" Myra frowned.

Lunarbolt was the next one to speak. "Oh, she means our team."

Mirage shrugged his shoulders which made Arcee only glare at him harder. "Beats me, for all we know, they could have wandered into our base undetected and past security. Though I am confused on how they could have gotten past Ratchet-"

The spy was quickly cut off by Myra who had let out a scoff. "Oh, yeah right, Mr. Stalker. Like that's even true!" Myra snapped.

"_Stalker_?" Ratchet repeated. The spy flinched at the sound of the medic's tone. And now he was going to be buried in wrenches for the next week. The red and white bot looked at Mirage. "Would you care to explain that?"

Mirage shot a glare at Myra who ignored it and answered with a smirk on her lips. "Oh! Allow me to explain... he was outside Erica's house when I was over for dinner a couple nights ago. I think he might have broken a few traffic laws too now that you mention it..."

The blonde smacked her friend on the arm who let out a yelp in pain in response. "Will you two stop it?!" Erica barked as Myra began to rub at her arm.

Lunarbolt smiled and laughed softly. The Prime who stood next to her hid his smirk under his mask. The silver femme grinned while glancing up at her commander. "I like this human. She reminds me of myself when I was younger..." She murmured to the side.

Optimus nodded slowly. "I may have to agree with you on that." The Prime replied softly.

Myra blinked before throwing a look at her friend. "Oh yeah? And you're not surprised that your crush was a _giant alien robot?_ I knew that the guy was weird! He didn't eat Simple Sally's pizza! NO ONE turns down that pizza." She crossed her arms as Mirage tried not to laugh at Bluestreak.

Bumblebee began to let out a series of clicks and whirls that imitated his laughter while Bulkhead chuckled to himself. Arcee did her best to hide her laughter as Bluestreak stammered and tried to compose himself. Erica flushed a bright pink and glared at Myra.

The dark haired girl held up her hands in surrender. "I hate you so much right now." The blonde muttered.

Myra innocently looked at her nails trying her best not to grin. "Humph just saying..."

Erica rolled her eyes and then stared up at Optimus. "Okay, just out of curiosity and wondering what the hell I am actually seeing... What exactly are you guys?"

"We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron," The largest being replied smoothly.

Lunarbolt folded her arms over her chest and smiled down at Erica. "But we like to be called 'Autobots'. Come to think of it, that really is a mouthful." The British Autobot replied with a grin. "I haven't the foggiest idea of why we even say that."

Erica blinked a few times at the femme and then pointed at her. "You're British? You can actually speak in a British accent? Is that even possible?" The silver femme nodded.

"Oh back on our planet, Cybertron, I grew up in Praxus. A city state that had much wealth, high standards and a police force that put even Iacon's to shame. No one got in or out without a probable cause. But as for the accent, I sort of grew attached to it back home, which is similar to the UK now that you mention it… It's such a lovely accent in my opinion."

Myra blinked and cocked her head sideways. "That's... actually pretty cool. Huh, robots with accents. Who knew?" The raven haired then looked at the red mech or "Mr. Stalker" as she knew him as. "And I'm guessing you landed in Italy or something?"

Mirage tilted his head back and tapped at his chin. "More of the outskirts of Rome... I landed in a vineyard. The owners were not particularly happy about that. I drove away and they started to fling tomatoes at me... I was scrubbing stains off my paint job for the next two weeks."

Myra snickered. "Yeah... Italians are known for loving their sauce..."

"And wine. They certainly love their wine." Mirage agreed.

Myra snickered again but stopped as Erica gave her a weird look. "What?!"

Erica stared blankly at her best friend and sighed. "I am just amazed at the fact that you know all of this stuff and yet you refuse to stay awake in History." Erica responded with a shake of her head.

"I refuse to stay awake in History 'cause Ms. Riker is the worst teacher! She practically sends kids to sleep!" Myra huffed while crossing her arms. "And I can't help it if I have a lot of Italians in my family..."

The blonde ignored her friend's reply with a roll of her blue eyes. Erica turned back towards the largest of the group. "Wait, so if you guys are the good guys, then who was chasing us last night?"

Bluestreak snorted as Arcee shot him a glare. "You mean to say that Decepticons were chasing after you last night? And you still didn't call for back-up?!" The blue femme screeched, smacking the sniper on the arm.

The gray Autobot yelped. "Hey! I only asked Raj to come bail me out! The Cons were seriously riding up on my bumper and didn't look all too happy to see me!"

Mirage faltered as Arcee's glare turned on him . "Hey I handled it! I was practically almost to the next county before I doubled back and lost them!"

"You put two human girls in danger!" The femme barked. She glowered at Bluestreak and Mirage. "Are you two stupid or something? The both of you could have gotten them killed last night!"

Mirage put his hands up in defense and began to back up from the advancing femme.

"Arcee, enough." The Prime rumbled. The blue femme paused and took a few steps back as the red and blue mech strode forward. Erica and Myra watched in awe at the giant Autobot walked over to Mirage and Bluestreak with a fierce look in his optics. "Now, both of you must take the girls home and keep a watchful eye on them. They are your responsibility now. Is that understood?"

"We have to watch them!?" Mirage said in disbelief.

Lunarbolt spoke up next. "You are both lucky to receive that punishment. I would have given you both something much worse." The silver femme murmured.

Mirage shot her a look. "Not helping."

"Oh you know that I'm your favorite." The femme grinned wickedly. The Prime shot the lieutenant a look which immediately cut her off as she frowned. "You always take the fun out of things, Optimus."

Mirage grumbled something and glared at Myra who was staring at him. "What?!"

"Guess this means that you're stuck in that lovely garage of mine." Myra smirked as she began to chuckle mischievously. Erica rolled her eyes again at her friend's antics and watched as Mirage's optic twitched.

He glared daggers at her and took a giant step forward. His lips curled up into a snarl. "Not on your life am I going to stay in that thrice damned bottom of the Pit you call your garage!"

"Mirage!" Ratchet scolded. The medic snatched up one of his wrenches and promptly smacked the spy upside the helm.

Mirage yelped. "_Merda! _That hurt you fragger!" Myra started giggling uncontrollably at the sight.

"ENOUGH!" The Prime roared. The two girls and the Autobots grew silent at the booming voice of the Autobot commander. The red and blue mech sharply turned to the spy and sniper. "You may not like my orders but you do have to follow them. I expect you both here in the morning with a progress report." He gave both of them stern looks that meant no arguments were to be given in the return. "And if either one of you is late, I _will_ personally find you myself. Am I clear?"

"But..." Mirage started before sighing and saluting him. "Yes sir."

Bluestreak nodded slowly. "Yes sir."

Erica exchanged a glance with Myra. "Maybe it is best we go home. I still have left over cupcakes from Thursday that I'm craving for." The blonde murmured. The gray Autobot transformed into the Mustang and propped the driver's side door open. Erica walked over to the Mustang and climbed into the car, leaning against the seat.

"Laters then..." Myra was about to join her friend when a large hand blocked her off. "Hey!" She glared up at Mirage who rolled his optics before lifting his hand and transforming into his own alt. "I believe you said you hated Fords..."

Myra frowned. "Alright, Mr. Stalker. But you'll have to take me out first before taking me home."

"Just get in before I leave you stranded in a random desert." He grumbled while popping the door open.

Myra narrowed her eyes and climbed into the car. She then propped her feet up on the dash and leaned back against the seat. "Is this the part where I say, 'Giddy up, Robot!' or something?"

The seat suddenly shot backward. "First rule of driving with me: Feet OFF the dashboard!"

Myra let out a shriek as she fell before scrambling back up to where her knees were pressed up against her chest. The girl stared at the dashboard and then gave it a mock-salute. "Yes sir, Captain McGrumpy Bolts."

He grumbled something in Italian before driving off toward the entrance with Bluestreak taking the lead. The rest of the Autobots watched as the two drove off, tires screeching in the distance.

* * *

"So..." Bulkhead spoke, breaking the silence. "What happens if Fowler finds out about the stunt they pulled last night?" Bumblebee let out a few whirls in response to his friend's comment.

Lunarbolt glanced up at the Prime. "How much trouble do you think we will be in?"

"_PRIME_!"

Optimus sighed with a small slump of his broad shoulders. "We are about to find out." The large Prime went up to the monitor and answered the agent's call. "Yes, Agent Fowler?"

The man's voice sounded angry and not pleased at the slightest. "_You mind explaining why my boss is already dogging on me about some high-speed police chase in Jasper that happened last night? The two cars that were involved seemed to have the same description as two of your own. Got an explanation for that, Prime_?" Fowler barked through the speaker.

The red and blue mech sighed again. "I understand that two of my Autobots were being pursued by Decepticons and did their job in leading the Vehicons away from Jasper. I can already assure you that their actions from last night will not go unpunished, Agent Fowler."

There was a snort through the speaker. "_Yeah, well, I'll be at the base in about an hour. And hopefully no Con is gonna bother me either. There's a couple of things I want to discuss with you and it's better done in person. Fowler out." _The conversation ended with Fowler's last statement and his picture being cut off from the screen.

Optimus turned back to his team and began to walk away towards his quarters. He paused in his stride and then turned around. "Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, I need you three to watch over the children until further notice while I deal with matters at hand." The Prime ordered. His three subordinates nodded and began to prepare themselves to be ground bridged by Ratchet. The larger mech then retreated to his quarters, closing the door behind him.

There was the eerie sound of silence in the base as Ratchet set up the ground bridge and sent the three Autobots on their way. Lunarbolt stayed behind, watching her fellow teammates pass through portal and disappear as the greenish and white waves swallowed them up. Ratchet glanced over at the silent femme who was looking over at the Prime's door. The medic walked over to the medical bay and then turned to look at Lunarbolt.

"Is something on your mind, Lunarbolt?" Ratchet questioned.

The silver femme shook from her reverie. "No, it's nothing." Lunarbolt spoke softly. She heard the medic huff from behind her and turn back to his work. The femme strolled down the hallway before going up to the Prime's door and quietly rapped on the door. The silver Autobot took a step back as the sound of heavy footfalls approached the metal door. Lunarbolt watched as the door opened to reveal the great Prime, optics soft and his iconic face-mask up.

"Is something wrong, Lunarbolt?" The mech asked the smaller femme.

Lunarbolt shook her head. "No, I was just wondering if you would like to go out on a drive with me. Bulkhead told me that it's one way to clear a clogged processor." The femme spoke. Optimus retracted his face-mask as a small smile appeared on his lips. He responded with a simple nod and motioned for the femme to lead. Lunarbolt and the Prime walked out of the hallway and into the main room where Ratchet was continuing to work idly on his projects.

Optimus paused and turned back to the medic who had his head down and focused intently on his project. "Ratchet, watch the base. I will comm. you when we are ready to be bridged back. And if Agent Fowler calls again - "

Lunarbolt quickly cut in with a grin on her face. "Tell him that the Prime's busy and to come back later!" The British Autobot called out. The Prime sent the lieutenant a stern look who in turn gave him a roll of the optics.

Ratchet waved off the two Autobots with his servo, motioning for them to leave. "I intend to. Now go! I need peace, quiet, and no distractions! That includes you two!"

Lunarbolt sent the medic a mock salute before transforming and revving her engine. Optimus did the same and then rolled out of the base, leaving the medic to hear the sound of a rumbling engine. Ratchet smirked and then caught himself shaking his helm and chuckling. He surveyed his surroundings and sighed to himself.

"A medic could get use to peace and quiet like this..."

_"PRIME!"_

Ratchet slumped. "And now it's ruined."

* * *

**A/N: And there is your long-awaited chapter nine that everyone was bugging me about! Michelle and I finally got it finished and we hope that you guys liked it! It was pretty awesome to write about... Then again, I love Transformers in general. :) Anyways, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! **

**Here's my logic: More reviews + favorites + followers = more chapters for you guys to read!**

**And a little side note from my co-author, the brilliant and talented Topkicker26: Please review! *holds a platter of cookies up* … ya know you want to ;)**


	10. Chapter Ten - Part One

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sadly. I still have to admit that.**

**Author's Note: WOAH! Is this some sort of witchcraft? AN UPDATE! ... Yes, it is an update. I want to say first thank you guys for being so patient with my lovely co-author, Topkicker26, and I. These last few weeks have been extremely tiresome. I've been busy with project, after project, after project and barely had time for the story. So with that, I am sorry. **

**On a different note, I found out on Tuesday (Dec. 18th), that my grandpa passed away. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go to the funeral due to the fact that I have finals the rest of the week, plus the drive is like 10 hours. He was a good man and served our country. I have never been more proud of him. I'll miss him greatly. :)**

**Warnings: Usage of the Italian language, Miko being a devious sneak, and Mirage being all 'anti-music'.**

**Hope you guys enjoy part one of Chapter Ten!**

* * *

After only five minutes in the sleek sports car, Myra was already bored. Considering the fact she was forbidden to practically do well… a_nything_, she was running out of options to entertain herself. Well there was one thing but it, sorry, _he _probably wouldn't appreciate it much and in return she would probably get tired of his constant bitching. She was about to sigh in boredom when she spied the radio. _Hmmmm… Wonder if the actual radio works? _She minutely scooted over before fiddling with the dials.

"What are you doing?" The teen nearly jumped when Mirage rumbled through the speakers. Composing herself she went back to what she was doing trying to find some good music. "Finding a station, I'm bored out of my wits here."

"A station for wha-" he tried to say before being cut off by Myra making a whooping noise. "GOT IT!"

She then started bouncing, bobbing her head up and down, and singing along with a song on the radio.

_"Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck. _

_Some nights, I call it a draw._

_Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle_

_Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off_

_But I still wake up, I still see your ghost_

_Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for-"_

_Click! _It was suddenly caught off.

"HEY!" The teenager said indignantly. "That was Fun.!"

"You call _that_ music?" The Autobot scoffed. "That's a sad taste in music if I ever heard one. Considering your appearance you must also have a poor taste in everything else."

Myra looked down at her attire which consisted of a pair of grey sweatpants with the words "Lemoore Tigers" emblazoned on the sides and a "Malibu Black" tank-top with a dark brown windbreaker thrown over it with tan Uggs on her feet. As much as she didn't want to agree with the jerk, she had to admit they were pretty rough on the eyes. Her appearance was probably not any better looking either with her scraggly black hair. "I had just gotten out of late night swim practice." She muttered while crossing her arms.

The driverless vehicle snorted. "You had time to change into something else. I thought humans always had the latest "trends" or whatever the scrap you call them."

She shot him, or at least the _radio, _a look scowling. "Yeah but I'm not _that _type of human for your information. Secondly I prefer sweatpants and tank-tops after practice so I don't get my nice clothes wet."

"You have nice clothes?" The insufferable "Mr. Stalker" mused.

"..." Her grey eyes flashed before turning her head to look out the tinted window. _Oh how tempting it is to kick you right now. _ "Yes I do have nice clothes believe it or not."

The red Autobot chuckled through the radio and continued driving into Jasper. He turned down the street that went past the high school and police station. The red sports car pulled to a stop near the police station and then parked, flipping off his lights and hiding in the shadows.

"Uhmmm this isn't my house." She looked out the window and grew a little worried. "Not even close... Is your GPS screwy all of a sudden from getting wrenched earlier?" The teen nervously twittered scared he might do something… _drastic._

"Shush! Blue should be coming up to drop your friend at the police station. I want to see what happens." The mech replied.

Myra rolled her eyes trying to hide the fact she was relieved. "... you're a terrible person."

Mirage snorted again. "I know. It is what keeps me awake at night." He replied sarcastically.

"Hardy har har… _stronzo_..." She dryly said before pursing her lips. "…wait wouldn't he see you? You're not that subtle unless he's blind which I doubt."

Unbeknownst to her Mirage had automatically switched on his cloak. The red paint job on the outside of the sleek car disappeared and faded into the background of the shrubs and trees behind him.

"Just ignore me then." She grumbled taking his silence as an indication to shut up, of course not seeing the effect.

The mech gave a quiet sigh."It's a cloaking device that I had installed due to my choice of pursuing a profession in the espionage field. Basically when I activate it, no one can see me but I can see them." Mirage explained. "Very few individuals have it now since Cybertron was deserted a long time ago."

She blinked and looked over at the radio. "Seriously?"

He stayed silent before answering amused. "I can kick you out and you can see for yourself if you would like..."

Myra's eyes widened. "…I'll take your word for it then."

He quietly chuckled again and then heard the purr of an engine approaching him from behind. "How mad do you think your friend is?" He asked off handedly as the Mustang pulled up to the police station and parked.

"Uhmmm well lemme see..." Myra thought about it as she watched the same car. "She had her flash drive, which contained the only pictures of her dad and his grave, stolen, she was lied to, and she was kidnapped before getting chased by killer KITT's. How mad do you think she's going to be?"

"What happened to her father?" The spy questioned quietly.

"... KIA." She uncomfortably replied unsure if it was her place to say.

"Hmm... I know how that feels." Mirage murmured, his processor going back to memories back on Cybertron.

Myra blinked in surprise."Yeah... She's lived with it for a long while."

"I can imagine." The Ferrari replied softly. He heard the car door slam and Erica's bitter laugh as Bluestreak's holoform stumbled out of the Mustang. The blonde whirled around to face him and slapped the dark haired holoform across the face.

"Damn…" The raven haired teen whistled. "That's gotta hurt."

"Yeah, he will be feeling that tomorrow." Mirage winced not at all envious.

* * *

Meanwhile Erica stared at Bluestreak, her eyes blazing with rage. "So when you told me about your family's death, was that a lie too? Because it seems to me that you're a pretty good liar!" The blonde barked.

He shook his head frantically trying to convince her otherwise. "Look that wasn't a lie! I DID lose my parents!"

Erica scoffed. "And you're lying to me again! I bet they're still alive..." Erica bit out.

She turned to stalk away but felt Bluestreak's hand snatch her wrist. He only shook his head sorrowfully, "I was just a kid when my parents died. They were killed in an aerial strike and I lost my family. You're lucky to have foster parents." He replied quietly.

Erica froze as the realization sunk in. She took a step forward. "You're not lying, are you?" She asked, her eyes growing wide in horror. Bluestreak shook his head again looking miserable.

Erica's heart sunk to her stomach. She felt her stomach tighten at the dejected look on the holoform's face. The girl stepped forward, reaching out to grab onto Bluestreak's shoulder. "Blue..."

"Look, I'm sorry for lying to you. I really am..." He sighed pulling away from her grasp. "But if I told you the truth would you have even believed me?"

Erica laughed and shrugged. "Yeah, probably not." She wiped her eyes.

The two were silent and Bluestreak took that as his cue to leave. "I, uh - understand if you don't want to see me again. I'll just leave you alone." The holoform murmured quietly. The blonde opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Bluestreak strode towards his alt. mode and glanced back at Erica. And just like that, his holoform disappeared and the sound of a vibrating engine was heard. Within seconds, the Mustang gunned the engine and drove off into the night, leaving Erica to stood alone at the station. With a sigh, Erica walked up to the police station in her pajamas, scared of what she was going to face next.

* * *

"Well, it seems like your friend and Blue didn't make up." Mirage spoke through the radio sounding a little disappointed.

Myra sighed and glanced over. "Pity, I bet you were waiting for another slap." She commented dryly. "Poor Eri, haven't seen her this upset in a long time."

"I was actually." The mech mused. "Maybe I will give him one when we get back to base. Actually as a matter of a fact, I will. He deserves it for what I had to go through for the last couple of days."

"Really? A _slap_?" She raised an eyebrow before settling back in the seat. "Wow, such a sissy if you can't even punch."

"Blue's fragile," Mirage deadpanned trying to hide his irritation.

"..uh huh..." She said disbelievingly.

The dark red car rolled out from under cover still with its invisibility still activated. "Come on, we'll have to fix the two love-birds' relationship. Besides, I would much like to go back to base and recharge for the night."

She snorted again this time trying not to laugh. "Lovebirds? Really? This is coming from the guy who dated _twins_."

"I didn't date them at the same time!" He replied indignantly trying not to growl. _I'm going to frag that slagger when I get my hands on him… _

"Right..." She drawled hiding a smile before perking up noticing that they were turning onto her street. _Home sweet home here I come. _Myra went to grab the duffel bag that was usually down by her feet, but her hand only touched her pant leg. The teen looked down in surprise seeing that her bag wasn't there. She started to panic before she remembered she never grabbed it when she got into the Mustang last night. With a groan Myra fell forward putting her head into her hands grumbling. "I'm such an idiot..."

"...what?" Mirage inquired a little confused about her behavior.

She sighed and sat back up. "I forgot my duffel bag when I got into Blue last night."

"And may I ask how you forgot something as big as that?" He asked quietly trying not to laugh.

"Because I panicked when I saw those cars sporting _cannons _ and were firing _said cannons_ at us, damnit!" She snapped before rubbing her face in irritation. "That bag has all my electronic devices, my wallet, and, le gasp, those nice clothes of mine. And I heard it's supposed to rain today…" As if hearing her words, a couple of raindrops pattered on the windshield making her curse a few colorful words.

The red sports car silently pulled up in front of her house. "...dark purple with gold letters?"

She blinked before frowning in confusion. "...huh?"

"Your duffel bag?" He was still trying not to sound amused. "Is it dark purple with gold letters emblazoned on the top?"

Myra's brows furrowed. "Yes?"

There was a soft popping sound that came from the back making her jump slightly. "Check the trunk."

"Check the... What are you playing at Bolts?" Her eyes narrowed as her hand lifted to open the door.

"I'm playing at nothing and I do have a name you know." He sniffed a little indignant.

"Right right it's Mirage I remember." She then thought about it. "… What kind of name is '_Mirage'_ anyway? Did they mistake you as a girl or something? "

"What kind of name is '_Myra'_?" He shot back with a slight growl. "Now are you going to check the trunk or should just kick you out?"

Myra only stuck her tongue out in response before going to open the door only to yelp as she fell out since the door was already open. _"Ass!" _The teen hissed in Italian as she glared at the car.

_"You were taking your sweet time."_ He remarked in the same language trying not to chuckle.

Grumbling Myra stood up and stomped in the rain towards the back before braking in surprise. "Oh you sneaky bastard…" She went up and grabbed her duffel bag before shutting the trunk. Wordlessly she went back around the front with the bag on her shoulder and stopped with her arms crossed.

"I thought you would appreciate that." He offhandedly said.

She rolled her eyes before going over to her garage door. "So much I should probably pay you back in some way huh?"

"…Maybe?"

"Well I should probably open the garage open huh?" She bit back a snicker as she stooped to open the door. "It's only going to get worse with the weather and all."

Mirage fumed. "I told you I am not staying in a filthy rat infested-." He was cut off as the garage door swung open revealing to be a garage empty of all boxes and litter. "-garage?" The Autobot sounded slightly confused now which made Myra chuckle. "You never did let me explain my parents were cleaning out the garage that afternoon."

"…." Wordlessly the Ferrari rolled up before backing up into the garage. Just in time too, for the rain was coming down hard now.

Myra slipped in after him and closed the garage door, hiding a smile. "You're welcome."

He only grumbled in return and sank on his shocks mentally relieved that he didn't have to stay out in the rain. He _just_ rebuffed and repainted himself earlier that morning.

"Welp good night," Myra breezed past him heading toward the door that lead into the house. "Wait, where are your parents exactly?" Mirage asked after noticing a lack of vehicles. "And how am I suppose to get out of here?"

She stopped before turning to face him crossing her arms in thought. "Well my mom's staying behind after her night class to do some last minute things and my dad's working an extra shift over at Nellis. They're probably going to get home soon but they hardly ever use the garage, even if it _is _cleaned out now." She drummed her fingers on the hand rail that was built with the stairs leading to the door. "Tomorrow- well I should say later today, they're leaving for Vegas and then flying out to the Florida Keys because this weekend is their wedding anniversary."

"Meaning…?"

"..I have the house to myself." The teen's lips twitched into a smile before turning away. "Well mostly to myself. And to answer your other question, the door's not properly secured. So a light push should just open it just enough for you to slip out."

Myra opened the door and slipped inside. "Anyway... I should get to bed. A _proper_ bed this time, mind you. Good night _messere_." She said over her shoulder before closing the door and turning off the light.

The raven haired teen silently crept up the stairs before slipping into her room which was fortunately the first door on the left. It was definitely hers for on the outside were several comical signs that said things like "Warning: Rabid Fangirl!" or "Keep Out, Assassin Inside!" Myra opened the door and closed it behind her just as quietly, muttering, "Finally some peace and quiet." Forgoing the shower, she quickly changed into her night clothes before jumping onto her bed and grabbing the Xbox controller off her desk. "It's Assassin's time!"

* * *

The next morning, Myra grumbled as she dragged herself down the stairs, rubbing at her eyes. Getting to the ground floor she made her way to the kitchen because right now a fresh cup of her mother's hot tea just sounded delicious. On the tile her two dogs were flopped on the ground. Their tails thumped a little in greeting before laying back down again.

_"__Mattina..._" Her father's voice sounded from behind her followed by a couple of thumps as he carefully placed a couple of bags by the front door. "Morning dad," she replied while turning around still rubbing the sleep boogers out of her eyes.

Alexander Daniels or Alex as he known to his friends, was a tall man with cropped black hair, a five o'clock shadow on his chin and a pair of twinkling blue eyes surrounded by wrinkles which meant he smiled and laughed a lot. His face and body was tanned a deep dark color obviously from being under the sun for too long. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. He looked over his shoulder before crossing his arms. "…so about last night," he raised an eyebrow.

Myra froze. _ . . _"Uhm what about last night, dad?" She smiled innocently.

He gave her a stern look and she instantly wilted inside. "…I'm so sorry dad I wasn't thinking straight and I just sorta freaked out and got into the car-" She blurted out.

Her father raised a hand and she immediately stopped. "…I would be lying if I said I didn't do things I've regretted. Shoot I've probably started most of them…" Alex stopped at the look of confusion on his daughter's face. "… My point is. You get a second chance so, don't. Do. It. Again."

She looked at him in surprise but nodded again just as her mother came down the stairs with the last of their luggage. "..I think that's about it honey." Sarah Daniels spoke with a Midwestern accent as she smiled. Her dark blond hair that was swept up in a pony tail bobbed up and down as she talked.

Alex turned to his wife and nodded before hugging Myra tightly. "Try to keep the parties to a minimum while we're gone alright?"

She hugged him back. "I will dad."

Myra was then hugged by her mother next. "Be good." She sternly told her. "No parties, yes?"

She had to bite down a snicker. "…Yes mother."

After the last goodbyes and kisses, Myra's parents grabbed their things before exiting the front door. Soon after the engine of their car died off as it drove away toward Vegas.

"Finally," Miko stated while standing up and stretching her arms. "I thought they would never leave." She then jumped precariously over the banister before grinning. "Now we have the house to ourselves!"

Myra frowned while looking at her. "Yes we do."

The Japanese girl tried to smile innocently but was failing at it. The black haired teen just rolled her eyes in response before grabbing her tea and marching back upstairs. "…I'm going to go take a shower since I didn't last night."

Miko wrinkled her nose. "Huh no wonder you smell like chlorine and salt water."

She chose to ignore that as she entered her bathroom and turned on the water. Fifteen minutes later she came back down the stairs with a tan Nickelback Concert T-shirt and a pair of black shorts.

"…You know, they said that YOU couldn't have a party. They didn't say anything about me."

Stopping, Myra tried not to glare. "What is your devious mind up to now? Miko only smiled in response. "Me to know and you to find out."

Not liking the sound of this, she crossed her arms. "What did you do?"

The black and pink haired shrugged. "I might have sent a massive text to everyone in the school of a party at our house." She then looked at Myra and was taken aback by the fact one of her eyes started to twitch. "Uhm are you okay-?"

"You did _WHAT?!_ Miko! You.. You.. You don't technically even live here! It's only temporary!" She groaned in frustration and facepalmed. "What time did you say to them!?

"…Ehh." She checked her watch."… about six? C'mon May-May you need some fun and excitement for once!"

She made a rude noise and laughed dryly. "I've had plenty of excitement lately thank you very much."

"Riggght."

Both girls had a glaring contest before Myra threw up her hands. "Fine! But the house is to look _spotless_ when the party's done!"

Miko smirked. "Trust me your parents won't know a thing."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you guys for reading! Don't forget to review! You guys are the best! :)**


	11. Chapter Ten - Part Two

**Disclaimer: Yeah, once again, I don't own anything. And I never will. Let's just keep it at that.**

**Author's Note: WOAHHH! TWO UPDATES! ... Yes, you guys get another update. So, this is your early Christmas present guys! :) Hope you like it!**

**Warnings: Unsupervised high-school party (... well, maybe it is supervised.), Sassy!Arcee, and jealous ex-boyfriend with red-hair.**

* * *

Saturday nights were very boring for Erica.

Most of the time, her foster parents and the twins would go to a dance tournament in Vegas or some other city close by while Erica ended up staying at the house with Chance by her side. Sometimes Myra would pop in and bug the blonde about the latest video game that came out. The two would sit on the couch and play the Wii, watch Disney movies, and eat Erica's famous cupcakes. And this weekend wasn't any different. Brian, Diana, and the twins had traveled to some dance competition in Winchester, NV that weekend.

So, being grounded by her foster parents about "running away with the new kid with strange blue hair", Erica was currently curled up on her couch with Chance lying next to her and was watching some videos of her previous games on her laptop. "And the crowd goes wild! Erica Houston has done it again! The Eagles have surely got themselves a rising star on their hands!" The blonde muttered, repeating every word from the commentator. She closed the video with a sigh and pulled out her headphones, shutting down her laptop with a frustrated snort.

Chance glanced up at his master and whimpered, rubbing his nose on her arm. He sensed that she was upset and simply wanted to be there for her. The blonde ruffled the Border Collie's fur and patted him on the head. She got up from the couch and ran a hand through her hair, letting out a yawn. The basketball star grabbed her phone from the kitchen counter and began to check for any messages.

_1 new text message from Myra Daniels._

With a shake of her head, the blonde opened the message and read the text: **It's not much of a party without one of the main guests of honor! Now get your sorry butt over here! I'm bloody DYING here! D:**

Chance trotted over to the blonde and barked once. He jumped up and placed his paws on the counter top where Erica was leaned against. She laughed at her friend's message and shook her head.

"What do you think Chance? Should I go to the party or stay here?" Erica asked the black and white dog.

The Border Collie barked once. Erica smirked and ran her fingers through her friend's fur. "I'll take that as a 'yes' then." She quickly replied to Myra's text and sent her answer.

**Party don't start till I walk in, am I right? ;) See you soon!**

Erica sat down her phone on the counter and jogged upstairs with Chance trailing behind her. The girl went to her room, walked to her closet and pulled out a dress and a pair of nude colored, peep-toe heels to match. She darted to the bathroom and shut the door while Chance clambered up onto the bed and settled down. He stared at the closed bathroom door and waited patiently for his master to return.

Within a few minutes of going into the bathroom, the blonde stepped out in a champagne colored, strapless dress. The dress was made of a soft lightweight shimmering sequin lace fabric, a ruched empire waist and a multi-tiered cupcake hemline design. The girl had her naturally curly blonde hair pinned up by hair-pins, with a light amount of make-up on and then twirled around the room.

"So..." Erica placed her hands on her hips and examined herself in the full length mirror. "What do you think, Chance? Think some of the soccer guys will like it?" The girl questioned with a twirl. The Border Collie barked and yipped in reply to his master. The blonde grinned and then grabbed her satchel from her desk. She patted the black and white dog on the head and ruffled his fur.

"I'll be back before midnight. Be a good boy and try not to make a mess of the house or you will have to help me clean up later." Erica spoke. Chance watched as the girl walked out of the room and waved in goodbye. She grabbed her pea coat from the coat closet and slipped it on. Erica went downstairs, grabbed her phone, and walked out of the house, locking the front door.

The girl headed out into the night, wrapping her arms around her body and walking towards her friend's house. Sure was kind of a long walk but Erica would just have to deal with weird cold, bitter Nevada air. The blonde heard the sound of an engine rumbling behind her and looked back to see Jack, helmet on, and his bike. The girl chuckled and shook her head, waving at the dark haired boy.

"Want a ride to Myra's?" Jack asked, taking off his helmet.

Erica blushed and brushed back a strand of her hair. "How did you know?"

Jack pulled out his phone and waved it at Erica. "Miko sent me a text earlier. Said that she and Myra were gonna have a _Guitar Hero_ face-off." The dark haired teen spoke, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

Erica laughed at the mentioning of her friend versus the foreign exchange student. "Okay, this I gotta see. Myra will never let anyone take away her title as Queen of _Guitar Hero_." The pretty blonde murmured. "I think she may be more competitive than me..."

Jack laughed. "I'm not sure if anyone is more competitive than _you_, Erica." The dark haired boy replied. Erica rolled her eyes at her friend and climbed on the silent motorcycle. Jack put his helmet back on and scooted forward for Erica to fit behind him. The blonde pressed herself up against Jack's back, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"There's something you should know about me, Erica." The bike actually spoke sounding a lot like that one female robot from the night before. The sudden conversation made the blonde jump in surprise.

"What's that?" She asked.

The blue bot's engine revved. "I was built for speed."

Erica's eyes widened in fear at the sound of that.

Jack glanced back at the blonde and smiled softly at her. "Believe me; she's not kidding about that."

The girl opened her mouth to protest but let out a yelp when the bike gunned her engine and sped down the street. Erica squeezed tightly around Jack's waist, closing her eyes and burying her face into his back. They made a couple of sharp turns while Erica clung onto Jack's back for dear life. The boy blushed under his helmet and then glared down at the motorcycle's console as they turned onto Myra's street. Hearing a huff, Jack felt the Autobot slow to a reasonable speed as Erica lifted her head up from the boy's back.

"Is it over?" The girl squeaked, her eyes wide and terrified. Jack nodded as they pulled to a stop. He helped the shaking teen off the motorcycle who instantly latched herself onto his arm.

"You two have fun. Try not to run into any Cons or get thrown in jail." The blue Autobot chuckled, turning her wheels towards Jack. The dark haired boy blushed and turned to shout something at his guardian but lost his chance when she gunned the engine and sped away.

"Sooo, you know about them too?"

Erica looked up at Jack and then smiled in embarrassment realizing she was holding onto his arm still. She let go blushing. "It seems I do… "

"It's crazy, you know? We're not alone in the world." He shoved his hands into his pocket.

"Yeah… Crazy if that's what you want to call it." Erica dryly laughed before shaking her head. "Thanks for the ride again, Jack. Uhm, though your bike seems really..." The girl trailed off.

"Abrasive? Forceful? Protective?"

"I was aiming for a compliment..." The blonde spoke with a quirked brow.

Jack blushed again and rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry, Arcee is definitely… something else."

Erica quietly laughed before turning to go into Myra's neighborhood. "We should probably get to the party before Myra tries to murder Miko."

"…Why should we do that?" Jack muttered as he followed her.

* * *

Myra fingered her cup of punch as she glided past a group of sophomores who had arrived early. _So far so good. _She was dressed in a dark red tank top and a pair of ripped up dark blue jeans that hugged her abdomen and hips respectively. A set of black knee-high boots were laced up finishing her look. Around her wrists were bracelets featuring her favorite bands and video games while her long black hair was tied up in a red bandana.

Peeking her head in around the corner she nodded in satisfaction before walking off again. The kitchen was well stocked with snacks and drinks, the rec room downstairs was set up with the Xboxes and a Fooseball table to keep some of more rowdy high-schoolers entertained, and the alcohol cabinet and rooms, other than the necessary bathrooms, were all locked with her having the only set of keys. She took a sip of her drink as she passed the living room which had been transformed into the dance floor. The DJ, one of her good friends, was set up in a corner with stereo speakers all around and a colored disco ball, and a Mac laptop hooked up to the sound system. He caught her eye and gave her a thumbs-up saying he was ready to go. She nodded her head and returned the gesture, still feeling nervous. Hearing the doorbell ring made her even more so.

_Will you relax?! Keep stressing yourself out like this and you're going to have smoke and sparks blowing out your ears._ She reprimanded herself as she walked up to the front door and opening it pasting a smile on her lips. _You hunt, fish, shoot archery, and you can apparently talk down a highly intelligent sass speaking, asinine twenty- sorry, _sixteen_ foot giant alien robot who turns into a flashy sports car. You deserve a party after what you went through... _Now feeling good about herself, Myra lead the newest guests into the living room.

After about ten minutes, more and more guests had showed up. It was starting to get crowded with everybody standing since most of the spots at the tables and couches were taken. Myra frowned from her perch on the stairs, still keeping her eye out for her best friend. _Where is she?_ The teenager looked at her phone and scowled, seeing no new messages. _She better get here soon… I'm dying here._

Erica with Jack on her arm walked up to the house and paused when she saw the lights flashing and music vibrating through the house. The two exchanged familiar looks. "I think this is the place." Jack remarked sarcastically. The blonde snorted. "I guess it is." Reluctantly, the pair strode up to the house and rang the door bell. Myra jumped up at the sound and rushed to the door, opening it. "There you are!"

Erica held out her arms in response. "I've come to bail you out!"

The teen hugged her tightly before dragging her in. "Thank god I was dying of boredom without my best friend here."

Erica surveyed the area and saw several of the guys from the soccer, lacrosse, and football teams in the living room. None of them at all shabby-looking which made the blonde shake her head. "Bored? There is a room full of cute guys and you say that you're bored?"

"... I know." Myra scowled before pointing out a single redhead boy laughing amongst them. "That's why." Erica cringed as she followed her finger. "Oh. HIM." The blonde bit her lip.

Myra nodded. "Miko didn't know and invited him..." The basketball star leaned over and whispered, "Want me to kick him out? I have four-inch heels on my right now."

She thought about it before sighing."…As much as I would love you for doing it... that won't be necessary."

Erica quirked a brow in confusion before scowling and grabbing her friend by the wrist and turned to Jack who simply stared at the blonde. "Excuse us, I need to borrow the host for a moment." With that said, Erica dragged her best friend into the kitchen where a couple was up against the fridge, sucking face with each other. "OUT!" The blonde barked. The couple broke away and then scrambled away like scared puppies with their tails tucked in between their legs. Erica made sure that no one else was near and then whirled around to her best friend. "Sometimes, I don't get you! You hate this guy! I mean, hello! He cheated on you! I don't see any good reason why he should even be here! So, why not throw him out?"

"Because... I don't want to start a commotion that could possibly lead to a repeat of last night..." Myra rubbed her arms turning her head away. "...plus I don't want to drag you into something I started... scratch that - what _he_ started." She corrected herself.

Erica sighed. "Myra, you're my best friend and I don't want to see you hurt. I know you would do the same for me..."

She gave her friend a small smile and put a hand on her shoulder. "If he does any stupid stunt tonight I give you permission to knock his ass out."

Erica punched her fist into the air with a laugh. "YES! That is my specialty!"

Myra snickered before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her back into the living room. "Yes... yes it is."

Erica gave a lopsided grin at her friend before her eyes widened. "...Where did he come from?" She pointed out a boy leaning against the far wall.

"Hmm?" Myra looked to where she was pointing before braking. There was no way it could be _him_. "Holy..." Her jaw dropped.

The boy that Erica was pointing at turned his head and sent them both a smirk that revealed his true character and identity. _"Ciao, signorinas,"_ he purred as he strode towards them. His dark eyes and gorgeous olive colored skin were gleaming in the low pulsating light. His black hair was long enough to be pulled into a low slung ponytail with a few locks hanging, accentuating his angular face. Myra's jaw threatened to drop even further as Erica blinked at him in shock.

"Uhm, heh... Hi." Myra stammered as she waved. Her cheeks were a bright pink as the boy continued to stare at her.

The boy sent Myra an equally charming smile and grabbed her hand. He brought it up to his lips and kissed her hand gently, before giving her a wink. Erica gaped at the unfamiliar boy in front of them. _There is really something off about this guy._ _It's like I know him from somewhere… _The blonde huffed and then folded her arms over her chest. "Well, I can see you two are hitting it off. I'll just go get some punch." The girl muttered with a snort.

Myra blushed a bright red before sending her friend a glare. _Ditcher! _She then turned back nervously smiling. "I don't believe I've seen you around here before _signore_."

"_'Signore'_? Come on, a little formal, aren't we, Myra?" The boy spoke with a grin. _Annd... there he goes showing those teeth of his_. Erica rolled her eyes and then walked away from the pair. _Now that I think about it… He kind of looked like that guy from one of Myra's video games. What's his name again? Eddie? Eduardo? Ah right… Ezio! _She snorted again. _Myra never did shut up about him. Poor guy if she ever realizes that. _She caught sight of Jack and immediately raced towards him.

Her eyes widened in surprise before jerking her hand out of his grasp. "How the hell do you know my name?" She glared.

The boy threw his head back and laughed. "Well, let's see. I'm currently sitting in your garage right now."

The teen blinked at him in surprise before looking at the garage and then back at him, understanding slowly dawning on her. "Mirage-?"

"MYRA!" She jumped back in surprise before looking past his shoulder and groaning. "Oh no not now..."

The holoform rolled up the sleeves of his black-button up, revealing more of his tanned-skin which made Myra want to fan herself. _Oh my god he's hot…_ Mirage jerked his head towards the red-head that was walking towards them. "You know him?" He asked.

"My... my ex..." She muttered wishing she just could disappear through the wall. She bit her lip and pressed her back against the wall. "...I was hoping he would just ignore me..."

Mirage quirked a brow at her sudden reaction. "Want some help?" The holoform questioned the dark-haired girl. "I'm a spy. It's my job to portray as someone else."

"I can handle it." She glared and pushed past him. _Can't believe I thought him hot. UGH._

Mirage turned to watch the scene unfold and leaned against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. His eyes fell on the girl and smirked. He really wished for some energon goodies right now. This was about to get _really i_nteresting.

"What do you want, Wes?" Myra crossed her arms and glared at the red head. "I'm trying to enjoy this party."

The red-head smiled. "Aww, c'mon Myra, I'm just having a little fun. Besides, it was your sister that sent me the text."

"She isn't my sister." She growled balling her fists. "She's only a foreign exchange student temporarily living here at _my_ house."

"Alright, alright, so she's not your sister. My bad." Wes laughed. He grinned at the dark-haired girl and placed a hand on her wrist. "So, how's my swimmer doing?"

The slightly shorter teen jerked her wrist out of his grasp still glaring. "That's none of your freaking business, you backstabbing cheater!" She snapped.

Wes held his hands up in surrender, appearing to be offended. "Hey! Take it easy now! I was just asking a question."

Noticing the sudden change, Mirage pushed himself from the wall and strode over to where Myra and Wes were, slipping an arm around the girl's shoulder which made her stiffen. "Is there any problem here?" He asked, narrowing his dark eyes at Wes.

"I told you I can handle it." She muttered under her breath to him.

Mirage leaned down to her ear. "Just let me do my job." The dark-haired girl glared up at him. "And what's that?" She whispered harshly.

"Simple," He replied. "…To protect you."

"From _Cons_, not pesky ex-boyfriends." She snapped back at him moodily.

"He's a threat. Cons are threats. I see no difference." Mirage replied with a smirk. He lifted his head back up to see Wes' hardened look, pulling Myra closer to his chest in response which only made her blush more.

"I can easily take him..." She muttered under her breath while Wes shook in quiet anger. She watched him grit his teeth and curl his hands into fists. He fought back a snarl as he ground out, "So, who's this Myra?"

"I'm... Raj. An exchange student. From Italy." The holoform convincingly lied. "Myra and I were pen-pals for about a year and so, we decided to meet each other face to face." Mirage said with a shrug. He sent Myra a grin. Yeah, there was a reason he was made for being a spy: he was an expert in lying and conning. That might be the reason why he's so good at talking himself out of things...

She glanced over from the corner of her eyes and raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah… Although he could have told he was coming today." She remarked dryly elbowing his hard in the ribs.

Mirage shrugged again not at all affected by the hard jab. "I wanted it to be a surprise, _cara_."

She tried not to blush as her internal translator went off. "Well you certainly surprised me that's for sure."

"I'm full of surprises." Mirage smirked a. He sent Wes a dark look who took that as a threat. The red-head opened his mouth to say something but snorted and turned to leave. He stalked away; his anger bristling and blood boiling for being made a fool. Mirage shook his head with a laugh. "Primus, I never thought I would be able to do something like that again." He murmured his arm still around Myra's shoulder.

"Do what?" She scowled."Piss someone off? Cause you surely did that with no problem."

"I do that all the time. It's like a second language to me. You should have seen what I did to Ratchet back on Cybertron. It was pure genius." The spy replied. He paused for a moment and opened his mouth to say something but then froze when he saw a familiar face running towards them. It was Raf. The younger boy bent over, panted and then stood back up. "The cops are coming! Someone must've called them!"

"SAY WHAT?!" Myra yelped before groaning. "Aw hell," she cursed as scrambled to the DJ and turned the music off. "EVERYBODY OUT!"

Mirage looked down at Raf. "Well, that was a short party." He stated in slight disappointment. The boy with glasses nodded disappointed himself. "First high-school party I've ever been to and it only lasted half an hour."

Myra was trying to get to the kitchen for that was where she saw Erica last, but the now panicked mob rushing towards the door was making that hard. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Erica grabbed onto Jack's arm, dragging him towards the sound of her friend's voice, trying to pry her way out of the raging mob of teenagers. "MYRA! C'MON! LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!"

"I'm trying to!" Came the muffled reply. "Help I'm getting drowned by all the perfume and sweat!"

"Don't forget the tears!" Jack called out. Erica sent him a harsh look and caught sight of her friend. The blonde raced forward, dragging Jack behind her and tackling her best friend into a hug. The girls embraced one another and grinned when they broke apart. Mirage, Raf, and Miko jogged over to the other three as the house finally emptied.

Miko glanced around the house. "Now what?"

And that's when they heard the sirens.

Myra turned around slowly before glaring with pure hatred at Miko who was cowering in fear of the raging teen. "Have I ever told you how much I _despise_ you?"

* * *

**A/N: Ahh, so much love am I right? I can tell you that Michelle and I had a lot of fun writing this. It was priceless. :) Anyways, don't forget to review! See ya next time with another update!**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Transformers... minus the 7 action figures, various books, DVDs, soundtracks, ect. Yeah, those are mine. But not the fandom itself. Trust me... I would be fired on the first day.**

**Author's Note: So, last chapter we got a nice looking party and police chase! Now... this one is just going to be more entertaining for you readers! Trust me! My lovely co-author and I are starting to fall for this story and we both hope that you all are too!**

**Warning(s): Pissed off!Myra, some language (of the Italian sort), and my personal favorite, PSYCHO!Mirage. (Read and you'll understand why.)**

* * *

Myra was certainly _not_ a happy camper at the moment. After being rushed out of her own home, thrown into the front seat of an Autobot, and now on the run from the police. Of course, she had one person to blame: Miko.

"I hate you, I hate you... I'm going to deport you back to Japan in a crate so people will think you're a vicious animal!" Myra muttered darkly under her breath from the driver's seat of Mirage's alt mode.

Erica rolled her eyes at her friend's threat towards the exchange student. "Myra now is really not the time to be making threats!" The blonde scolded while at the same time Miko snorted from the back seat. In response Jack and Raf both sent her a disapproving look.

Myra sent an equally dark look toward her friend. "Oh yeah as if you wouldn't say the same if Miko had a party that got busted by the police at YOUR house."

"Great... now I'm going to be arrested again. Brian is going to kill me." Erica moaned, running a hand through her already messy hair.

Jack leaned forward from behind Erica's seat and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. He shrugged and gave her a sheepish grin, "Brian can't be all that bad with punishments. You're his foster daughter, how bad could he punish you?"

"He could just leave her in the jail cell." The dark haired remarked dryly. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if I was in the cell next door to her, due to my mom..." Unbeknownst to her, Jack was burning daggers into the back of her head.

Erica glared darkly at her friend and promptly smacked her on the arm. "How about we both just share the same cell to save space!?" The blonde remarked with a snap. She shrugged off Jack's sympathetic touch and folded her arms across her chest. Glancing out the window, Erica's blue eyes widened in fear at what she saw in the rear view mirror. "Myra... I think we're being followed."

Slightly amused at the tirade between the teens, Mirage hadn't noticed that they were indeed being tailed by a dark vehicle. "That is because we are being followed."

The trio in the back all turned and stared at the dark approaching vehicle. A few moments passed before Miko decided to open her mouth and speak. "Think he wants directions?" She piped. Raf and Jack both stared at her, dumfounded while Myra in the front seat rolled her eyes muttering something along the lines of _"…idiota."_ The Japanese girl simply shrugged at their stunned reactions.

Erica shook her head as the dark car only appeared to come closer. She let out a nervous laugh. "A friend of yours, Mirage?"

"It looks... like a police cruiser." Raf peered through the back window. He was confirmed by the flashing of red and blue lights on the roof. The smallest of the group looked over back over his shoulder at the radio. "Shouldn't we pull over?"

Mirage was silent for awhile before grimly replying. "No... It's neither a police cruiser nor a friend of mine." He sped up some worrying the teens, though the three teens in the back seemed more distressed.

It was Jack who realized what was going on. "We got a Decepticon following us, don't we?" The red Autobot didn't say anything which only sealed the deal.

"...Great! Just - just great." Myra groaned. "I jump into a strange car and look where it gets me."

And that's when Erica chose the perfect time to panic. "We're gonna die. We're gonna die. We're gonna die. And I haven't even graduated yet! SERIOUSLY! NO GRADUATION!" The blonde babbled, her breathing coming out in short, rapid breaths. Her hands had begun to shake as her eyes darted wildly around the cramped car. It just was the beginning of a panic attack... perfect.

Her friend pinched her nose sighing. _Forgive me for this, Eri but-. _"ERICA! YOU'RE NOT HELPING THE SITUATION ANY!" Myra grabbed her friend and slapped her across the face _twice._

The three in the back stared in shock at the reaction Myra had of Erica's panic attack. The blonde then yelped and clutched at her face, tears stinging her eyes. "Wha - what the hell?!" Her blue eyes were full of betrayal; Myra had _never_ reacted that violently before.

"Look Eri I know you're scared." Myra said apologetically. "We, at least the humans in the vicinity, are too. But right now we need you to hold it together. We're not going to die. You're going to graduate as Valedictorian Miss Smarty Pants. You're going to some amazing college to get some amazing job. And you're probably going to be the first female President of the United States. But either way _you're not going to die._"

"Yes and I just love the faith you hold in me too." Mirage muttered. It turned into a pained grunt as the teen kicked him under the dashboard.

Erica nodded with teary eyes. She swallowed back her tears and then glanced back at the Decepticon cruiser, only to see a pair of gleaming red eyes coming towards them. "I think now is the best time you STEPPED ON IT MIRAGE!" The blonde shrieked.

The Autobot indignantly snorted. "I beg your - "

"Oh for the love of - " Myra slammed her foot into the accelerator cutting him off with the engine snarling. "SHUT UP AND DRIVE!"

As the cherry red sports car flew ahead of the advancing Decepticon, the party inside of the car began to scream as Myra took over the driving. Erica clung tightly onto her seat, her fingernails digging into the seats. On the road, the black and white Decepticon scowled and then roared in frustration, scaring the passengers again and a flock of roosting birds. He shifted back into his alt. mode and sped after the red sports car.

The black haired teen drove a while before realizing something. "Oh lovely you're a stick shift..." Myra muttered unhappily trying to ignore the screams.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Mirage replied bitterly, unhappy with the fact that he was being _driven_.

She sent a glare before downshifting around a corner jerking at the last minute to avoid a lamp post. "Oh you're such a comedian."

"OI! Let me do the driving!" The sports car barked, a little scared now.

"Your leisurely driving sucks!" She snapped back at him. "And I'm practicing my stick shift driving for your - "

"Would you two bickering morons just _shut it for once!?_ If you haven't noticed we have a raging Decepticon coming after us and NO ONE TO HELP US OUT! I suggest you call someone Mirage or you will be walking _VERY_ uncomfortably for the next few days because of the fact you will have something stuck in your freakin' tailpipe! And Myra for the love of God stop picking fights with the intelligent robot! Do you understand me?!" Erica snapped angrily, her blue eyes blazing with fury. The original trio shrunk back in their seat, frightened by the blonde's outburst. More importantly, they were too scared of what she would do next.

Myra looked at her a little scared distracted for once."… Damn Erica. Haven't seen you this pissed in a _long_ time."

The blonde blinked several times and laughed. "Sorry... I think I forgot to take my anxiety meds this morning..."

"Or something of that matter..." Mirage sniffed a little indignant before he tore the wheel out of Myra's hand.

Raf looked back behind him and gulped. His eyes grew as big as plates, slowly blinking at the incoming purple and black vehicles. "Uhh, guys... is it just me or does that Decepticon have friends?" He whimpered, his shoulders slumping.

"Oh lovely, he called backup." The black haired teen said sarcastically throwing a look towards the radio.

"I got the hint the first time!" The Autobot snapped in response.

"Well apparently he got the message and you didn't!" Erica replied just as bitterly.

He remarked snidely. "I already called backup for your information."

"And where is 'said back-up' if I may ask?" Miko questioned a little disbelieving.

He was about to answer when there was a crunching sound as they were rammed from behind. Erica jolted forward, nearly smacking her face onto the dashboard. "Taking their sweet time I say." The dark haired teen muttered as she pushed her glasses back up.

Jack cringed at the back of the sports car and ran a hand through his hair. "Uhm, Raj... Your - uh - uhm..."

He was not in the mood for this right now. "Yes _I know _I just got rammed!"

"I really hope Ratch can fix your bumper because from what I can see... it's not all too pretty." Miko confessed.

"Yes I know that too!" He snapped irritably. "I just rebuffed too!" Despite the circumstances, Myra started giggling uncontrollably. "Oh dear spirits that just sounded wrong…"

Before Erica could say anything to her giggling friend, a flash of multi-colors erupted in the front of the sports car. The passengers all leaned forward to see who had arrived, praying that it was one of the Autobots... And sure enough, a green truck rushed from the Ground Bridge, heading straight towards the oncoming Decepticons. Miko's eyes brightened at the sight of her guardian, "SWEET! BULKHEAD IS HERE TO BASH SOME CONS!"

"...here we go again..." Jack face palmed.

"Well that's certainly convenient!" Myra said cheerfully before frowning. "But uhm... I don't see the police cruiser Con anymore…"

"Maybe he left?" Raf suggested quietly.

"I highly doubt he did..." The Autobot muttered just as the cruiser came out of nowhere and started on a collision course rights towards Mirage.

"This is just not my day..." Erica murmured while her heart plummeted to her stomach as they started to play Chicken.

At the last second the red spy turned power sliding into another street that lead towards an open quarry outside of town. "Welcome to my world." Mirage said dramatically.

"So, think you could drop us off so we don't die?" Erica laughed. It was cut short as they got rammed again.

"No time!" He suddenly braked, sliding in a circle while opening all his doors. Myra flew and hit the ground rolling before face planting right into the side of a ditch. One by one, each passenger was ejected from the sports car. Raf and Miko were ejected to where they fell on top of the other, tangled in a pile of limbs and groans. Jack shot out of the back and hit the ground hard, smacking his head on the dirt. He heard a feminine yelp and looked up to see Erica fly towards him. Without any time to move, the blonde landed on Jack's stomach and instantly heard him moan in pain. She lifted her head up and stared down at Jack who smiled sheepishly at her.

Coughing, Myra heard mechanical whirs and clicks behind her before a couple of thumps, the telltale signs, as far as she knew, of a Cybertronian completing the process of transforming from one form into the other. _I'm going to kill that figlio di puttana in his sleep..._ She thought darkly as she brought her head up spitting out a dirt clod or two with grass included she found. Wiping off her face, the teen was about to stand up, when a shadow fell over her, making the teen fall back down to the ground cowering and covering her head.

Myra's body went cold as she heard a near quiet _'shink'_ and a light thump. Tempting fate, she nervously looked up. Imbedded into the ground in front of her was the largest and longest saber she ever saw. She saw herself on its surface: a grimy girl with dirty clothes and wild hair. She continued looking up to see the large arm it was protruding from. She gulped. _Why me?_

The couple on the ground scrambled to get up just as Jack grabbed Erica by the wrist. The blonde searched around for her friend and then felt her heart thump heavily in her chest. "MYRA! RUN!" She screamed on the top of her lungs.

"You may want to follow your friends..." Myra blinked and shook out of her daze to look up at Mirage who was glaring at the police cruiser on the other side of the empty quarry.

She nodded furiously before scrambling to her feet. "What about you?"

He actually tore his gaze from the Decepticon to look at her. "Don't worry about me. Just get out of here."

Erica rushed forward to her friend and began to drag her away from Mirage who simply turned towards the face he had not seen a long time.

* * *

"My my, what a surprise," The Decepticon darkly chuckled as he stood up after transforming. "I wouldn't think to see a noble off all things here on Earth."

"Funny, I didn't think that Megatron recruited scum these days..." Mirage retorted smugly with a twirl of his blade.

Barricade barked out a dry, humorless laugh. "I wouldn't think the Autobot cause would recruit a traitorous noble whose brother is said 'scum'."

Mirage growled in surprise. "I do not have a brother."

"Hmm right right that is what you say to yourself to go to sleep at night I suppose..." He started walking slowly. In response the red Autobot did the same, and soon they were circling each other. "But let's face it you're lying to yourself, noble."

"Then face me, you coward!" Mirage let out a snarl and swiped out one of his favorite daggers throwing it towards Barricade.

The Decepticon neatly dodged it and smirked as it embedded itself into the tree behind him. He mockingly clapped at him, making Mirage's energon boil in his veins. "Well done for hitting that tree! That is what you were aiming for yes?" He started walking again still grinning. "Don't play dumb with me; I _know_ who your brother is. I was there remember?"

"You know nothing about my past, Barricade." Mirage murmured darkly.

"...hmm maybe I don't besides the obvious." He paused in his circling. "How does it feel like to be an outsider to your own side? But oh, wait, that's nothing new for you is it?"

At that, Mirage saw nothing but red. He let out a roar and charged towards Barricade, releasing all the pent up rage and anger he had been hiding for cycles. Retracting another blade, the assassin swiped at Barricade's cheek, slicing it open and making the Decepticon bleed out. He punched at the mech's side, attempting to slice at Barricade's side but no avail.

The Decepticon took it in stride sending out blows of his own. "Oh, so that's my answer." Brutally he dealt out a comeback, punching and kicking before dragging Mirage towards him and slamming him to the ground. Mirage gasped in pain and then stared up at Barricade's gleaming red optics.

"I. AM. NOT. AN. OUTSIDER." He ground out.

"Yes... Yes, you are." He put the bladed 'spur' on his foot to Mirage's throat, pressing on it firmly. "Answer me this: what were the nobles before the war?" He didn't even wait for an answer. "They were _Decepticon_ sympathizers."

He tapped his foot against his chin as if thinking. "I wonder how the Autobots reacted to that one. One of, if not the last noble of Cybertron crawling out of the rubble of his own home to some higher ranking officer," Barricade chuckled softly as he continued to stare down at the pinned assassin. "And asking to join the Autobot cause? That would warrant suspicion, don't you think?

Mirage fought back a swallow and then twisted his hand to form into another blade. He whirled his neck around, bringing his blade up to dig into Barricade's shoulder. Mirage felt the energon leaking from a sliced line in his neck but he ignored it. He scrambled to his feet again and swiped a kick to Barricade's face, knocking the brute to the ground.

The brawler rolled backwards to avoid being stabbed through the spark. "I wonder what they would think if they ever found out your brother was the Decepticon head medic, Knock Out." He taunted. "Would you be kicked out into the cold again to fend for yourself? Wandering on this Primus forsaken planet trying to hide as the Decepticons hunt you down while the Autobots stand by and do nothing for their former comrade?" He shook his head. "I can see why you lie to yourself every waking moment as you try to scour your brother's name from your mind and past even though it doesn't change the fact you're still related to him."

Mirage seethed. "I do not call him my brother any more. That was a long time ago..." The red mech spoke softly more to himself than to the Decepticon.

"See? My point exactly." He shook his head in pity. "And I wonder if you lie to yourself about your parents as well."

The spy let out a dark sinister laugh. It was a psychopath's laugh that would have made any Cybertronian think twice of dealing with the volatile Autobot. "My parents are dead, Barricade. Have you not heard? They perished in the Insecticon invasion on the Towers..." He chuckled as his normal blue optics started to gleam with a red tinge, almost appearing to be purple.

"Oh yes that is true. They are dead..." He mused a little too happily. "You know I was there when they threw your creators into the Insecticon Pits... Primus, I have _never_ heard such screams. Especially from one that's such a high standing femme like your mother. They were like music to my audio receptors. Pity, it was cut off so short. It was just starting to become fun." He sounded sad as he said that.

Something within Mirage snapped, and his optics went a deep blood red that redder than his own paint job. Despite the injuries he had sustained, he stood up giving Barricade one last look before disappearing.

"Oh, but of course, that would send you packing." Barricade laughed. However, there was a sharp edge to his tone. He was being cautious. He knew that once Mirage disappeared, things were going to become very interesting for either party.

Mirage never thought he would grow up to be a cold-blooded killer. His sire and carrier were born into money as was he and his brother. But once the Towers fell and he had joined the Autobots, he knew how to be silent, quick, and precise when it came to a kill. Of course, that is what his care-giver had taught him. And he was going to do just that to Barricade.

The Decepticon Brawler tightened his fists trying to keep down the fluttering feeling he was experiencing. "Where are you, coward?"

He was met with silence.

That only unnerved him more. He went to grab his gun when he felt a presence behind him. "Insulting me was one thing…" A cold voice muttered into his audio receptor making him freeze. Before the Decepticon had any time to react, he felt a sharp pain emit from the middle of his back as the edge of a sharply tuned sword severed his back strut, immediately paralyzing the mech. Barricade attempted to move his body but it was no good. The invisible mech had made him helpless as a strong arm supported him and gently set him down to the ground.

"… But insulting my mother is another thing." He finished.

The vengeful figure of Mirage suddenly appeared over him blotting out the moon. As the spy crouched, the paralyzed mech saw that he still had a pair of the most murderous optics he had ever seen. "And how does it feel to feel nothing at all?" Mirage said mockingly with a faint smile. "A pressure there or a sword here?" He lightly pressed the edge of his blade to the Decepticon's throat.

Mirage tsked when he got no answer, tapping his blade on Barricade's chin. "Poor little Barricade... all defenseless and alone. I wonder what your Master will say when they come looking for you..." He whispered. He tilted his helm curiously to the side, as if he was a child. With a gleeful grin, he sliced at the brute's unharmed cheek and then wiped away some of the energon. He brought it up to his face and leaned forward, as if he was going to lick away the energon on his servo.

"W-why don't you just kill me then?" Barricade spat hating the fact he couldn't do anything.

This made Mirage pause before chuckling darkly which made the Decepticon's energon run cold. "... Kill you?" Mirage shook his head. "No, I will not kill you. Not yet at least. You see, that would be considered mercy. And I am not too fond of mercy anyway. After all, mercy is something you and your kind do not deserve." He moved his sword down tapping the Decepticon's chest, right above where his spark chamber was at. "No, you will feel what I felt: a numbness of everything around you. The ghostly pains of what you lost. Of something you cherished your entire existence and it's simply taken away just as easy as taking away a toy from a sparkling."

Mirage rapped at his chest again before he slowly stood up as the red in his optics began to dim to a lighter tinge. He looked down at Barricade and smirked, "If you see my brother, which I am sure you will, tell him that I said hello."

"Go frag yourself!" he snarled.

He grinned at that, opening up his comm. link and glancing back at Barricade's paralyzed form. "Hey Ratchet, I could use a Ground Bridge."

Barricade growled from his position on the ground. "I hope for your sake, we do not meet again."

The spy was amused at that."Hmm, my sake? You won't survive the next time we meet." He turned his helm towards the Decepticon, his optics with a slight red tinge again. "I guarantee it."

As if it was coordinated perfectly, the green and white tinge of the Ground Bridge appeared in front of Mirage. The assassin slinked through the portal, a smirk on his face as he heard Barricade roar from behind him. And it was swallowed up once he entered the Autobot base. He cringed at the bright lights and rubbed at his optics, their red tinge disappearing to their normal blue hue.

That was one hell of a night...

* * *

"Hey guys! He's back!" Miko scrambled up from where she was sitting. "Alright! I gotta know! Did you waste him?" She asked evilly.

The assassin's memory flashed to Barricade's helpless form. He wanted to laugh and impress his fellow Autobots but he held it back. Instead, Mirage let out a shaky laugh. "He won't be bothering us anytime soon." The assassin replied with a triumphant nod.

"Awesome!" Miko said cheerfully, before asking a large list of questions to the mech.

Optimus though frowned. Something was not right with his top spy. Time for some prying... "Mirage, are you alright?"

Said mech jerked his head around to face his commander. He gave the Prime a wary smile. "I - uh, I'm fine. Just tired, nothing to worry about sir, I promise."

Optimus narrowed his optics as he caught a glimpse of Mirage's normal blue optics with a red tint. He took a small step forward to the assassin. "Are you sure?"

"I said I'm fine." Mirage retorted sharply. He turned to make his leave, hoping that he could just go without being interrogated by his commander.

Optimus was not convinced. He took a quick look of his spy's frame and saw some of the wounds and scratches he had obviously gained in the fight. "Perhaps you should have Ratchet look at those wounds. I bet he would be helpful." Mirage made no move to speak. Taking that as a sign, the Prime stepped forward and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "And as observation, your behavior says otherwise, Mirage..."

And just as the grey hand landed on Mirage's shoulder, the assassin snapped. He drew out his dagger and whirled around to face his commander with a blaze in his optics. They were no longer blue, but a fiery red. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" He bellowed.

Optimus drew his hand back in surprise, hardly reacting as the blade scratched him across the chest.

"Mirage?!" Ratchet cried out in shock.

The assassin shuttered his optics at the sound of his name and dropped the dagger. It clattered to the base's floor as the young mech looked back up to see a wide variety of shocked expressions. He could see Lunarbolt behind Prime with a clenched fist; Arcee and Bumblebee were both prepared to attack the assassin if any more threats were made. Bulkhead was next to Ratchet both of them shocked at what Mirage had done. And Bluestreak... he was standing in front of the teens who had hid behind him. His own partner... The red mech looked down at his servos, watching them quiver from his latest ordeal. He slowly took a step back and quickly disappeared from sight.

Bumblebee and Arcee were the first two to come forward but Optimus held up a hand to stop his Autobots from acting out. "No, let him be."

Arcee was the first to speak up against her leader's orders. She gaped at him in surprise. "But he just - "

"He needs to be alone, Arcee. I believe we should give him that." He sternly ordered the femme. She looked to disobey but only sighed and shook her head.

Lunarbolt saw the minor scratch on the Prime's chest and then looked up at him. "Optimus, you might want to have that scratch repaired." The femme murmured softly.

"Hardly needs to be repaired." Ratchet snorted from behind the group. "It's only a cosmetic injury."

* * *

As for the assassin, Mirage snuck out of the base and made his way to the roof. He switched off his cloak and sat down. A lot had happened in last few hours... and he wasn't too happy about the outcome of it either. Barricade was still probably lying prone on the desert, waiting for his comrades to come find him.

Mirage smirked, thinking about how Megatron was going to deal with the brute. Grinning at the thought, he looked down at his dented armor, he could still manage to see through it; but he was certainly surprised at what he saw:

_A sparkless Decepticon staring back at him. _

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was really fun to write! Michelle (Topkicker26) and I really had a blast when writing the Barricade vs. Mirage scene. She and I are starting to like this other side of Mirage... it's like the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde complex, if you will. Hope it didn't creep some of you all out. :) Don't forget to leave a review! Those are much appreciated!**

**Until next chapter!**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Disclaimer : Yeah, once again, I own nothing. ... Sadly.**

**Author's Note : WOW! Another update! And it's not even been a month! Luckily, my lovely co-author and I were able to squeeze some time in for this chapter and work it all out. Plus, I had a long weekend because of snow in my area. It's still on the ground and will probably be there for a while... lovely. But on the bright side, these snow days give me more excuses to write! I hope you enjoy this chapter because it was really fun to write!**

**Warnings : Myra attempting to strangle Miko with her bare hands, Tipsy!Erica, some mentions of alcohol, and minor foul language.**

* * *

There was an eerie sense of silence that one would experience in a horror movie after Mirage had gone. Still confused, Bulkhead was trying to comprehend his comrade's outburst but could find no explanation. The rest of the Bots looked quite bewildered.

And that's when the green warrior decided to break the awkward silence. "What just happened?" Bulkhead rumbled.

"Mirage had a meltdown and tried to attack Optimus." Arcee stated bluntly sending a glare towards her commander who was walking towards Ratchet.

Bulkhead was still surprised. He looked at Arcee with a dumfounded look on his face. But the blue femme was simply not amused. "... I don't think I've ever seen him break like that before. Whatever happened between him and Barricade must have caused something."

The blue femme scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. "Or he's just been waiting to explode in our faces and - " Arcee was quickly cut off by a face full of an angry British Autobot. Lunarbolt's optics flashed in anger as she stared down the smaller femme.

"I suggest you keep your comments to yourself, Arcee. And I know for a fact, as does Optimus, that Mirage would rather die than hurt anyone of us... even you." The silver femme spat with a clenched fist.

The blue femme blinked in shock as Luna continued, now starting to poke her in the chest hard. "He's one of the most loyal Autobots you can ever meet. He has been through hell and back and you no right to judge him you bloody dwit!"

"Lunarbolt!" The Prime snapped. The silver femme paused in her rant and turned towards their commander with dark optics. Everyone in the room, including the teens, stared up at the leader, waiting patiently if not anxiously for his response.

The Prime cleared his throat and then said, "For now, it is wise that we leave Mirage to sort out his problems. We all know that he will come for help when he needs it and we will be there to assist. But, until that day comes, we must give him time."

"But he could be a loose cannon, Prime! He tried to attack you!" Arcee protested. "For all we know he could be a Decepticon!"

Just as the word reached his audio receptors, Bluestreak quickly jumped the gun and downright snarled at Arcee. The femme jumped but she was not afraid of the sniper. "My partner is _not_ a Decepticon! He's lost too many good friends, not to mention his entire _family_ to the Cons and Jazz was one of them!" The grey and black mech growled, blue optics darkening.

He clenched his fist and prepared to lunge towards the femme, eager to start a fight but was pulled back by Bumblebee's strong grip. The yellow scout sent the other mech a series of clicks and whirls, as if he was attempting to calm the angry sniper down. Arcee glared daggers at the sniper and prepared to fight him as well but Ratchet kept a strong grip on her shoulder.

"Arcee, Bluestreak, that is _enough_," Optimus sharply said, looking at the both of his subordinates. "We cannot bicker and accuse others of being something we have no particular evidence of."

"Optimus is right," Ratchet began, glancing sideways to Arcee. "Mirage may be a lot of things, but a Decepticon is surely not one of them."

Knowing that Optimus had given the final say, the team was left in silence. But Arcee was not going to be convinced otherwise. Seeing she was losing this fight, Arcee jerked her shoulder from Ratchet's grip and sent him a dirty look. She simply rolled her optics before storming off in a huff, transforming and speeding out of the base.

* * *

As the group of teens, it was obvious that this was definitely not a fun night.

"Well, there goes Jack's ride home." Miko stated as Myra crossed her arms looking broody as she muttered darkly. "And mine just flew over the cuckoo's nest."

Erica glared at the both of them. She looked at the black haired boy sympathetically and patted Jack on the arm who appeared to be upset at the loss of his ride. "It's late; we should all go home and sleep... even if the party was a complete disaster."

"That's a beautiful way to describe my house right now," Myra groaned turning to Miko with an expectant look. "I hope you realize that you're helping me clean that mess up."

"We still have one more day before your parents get back from Vegas. Besides, I'm bushed. Let's go and sleep..." Miko yawned tiredly.

Raf rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn after the Japanese girl. "Yeah... my mom will be pretty mad if I don't get home soon."

"... Uhm my parents are coming home in three days from _Florida_, remember?" Myra furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Ohhh... yeah... about that... I knew that there was something I forgot to tell you..." Miko said sheepishly.

Myra froze and slowly turned towards Miko with a dangerous look in her eyes. "What?" She narrowed her eyes at her. The taller teen took a single step forward while Miko took a step back.

"Your parents sent me a text saying that they're coming home early... like tomorrow early."

Myra's eyes widened. Erica face-palmed and groaned softly into her hands knowing, for a fact, that this was going to end very badly for someone. "Oh dear..." The girl slipped off her shoes and handed them to Jack. "Hold my heels."

He wordlessly took them as he watched one of Myra's eyes and hands start to twitch. "Miko," she said quietly. "I'm giving you a three second head start before I start chasing so I can strangle you."

And as if it was on cue, Myra let out a frustrated yell and lunged towards Miko who yelped, running away to hide behind Raf's smaller frame. Erica rushed into action, snatching the darker haired girl by the waist and dragging her backwards, kicking and throwing out Italian curses. "MYRA! Damnit... RESTRAIN YOURSELF! NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO KILL MIKO!"

"WHEN_ IS_ A GOOD TIME THEN?!" She snarled trying to claw herself out of her friend's grasp. "I'm going to throw that little impudent _puttana_ off a cliff!"

"Just. Not. At. The. _Moment_!" The girl managed to say, dodging her friend's flailing arms. She attempted to dodge one but then felt a hand fly into her face and smack her promptly on the nose. With a curse, Erica released Myra and brought both hands to her nose.

"Oww..." The blonde moaned with a whimper.

The dark haired teen instantly cooled off at the sound of her injured friend. She winced. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry, Eri! Are you okay?!"

The girl huffed. "Well, I don't think you broke my nose... luckily." She checked her hands and noticed that there was no blood. Sighing, Erica walked over to Jack and grabbed her shoes from him with a smile. "Thanks for taking care of my babies."

"They're very nice." He charmingly smiled, ignoring Miko who was making a gagging motion.

Raf exchanged glances between the others and asked, "So... can we get going or are we gonna spend the night here? Because last time I checked, Erica's in a dress and we didn't bring any pajamas."

Miko smirked. "Not that Jack cares." The two younger members of the group snickered while Jack threw them both a dark look with flushed cheeks.

Erica snorted and chuckled as Myra had to hide a smirk behind her hand. "And it's a lovely dress that she wore. Pity, Miko couldn't pull it off. She doesn't have the right skin tone." Myra said with a shake of her head.

The said teenager scoffed and rolled her eyes. "As if I _want_ to wear a dress."

Sensing the tension, Erica immediately jumped to intervene with the two bickering teens. "Alright, look, I've been thrown out of a car, chased by a Decepticon, and hit in the nose... I would really like to go home now so let's not start a fight." Erica pleaded.

"Right... right..." Miko turned on her heel. "So… ride..."

The blonde yawned and stood next to Jack. She looped her arm through his and placed her head on his arm. Jack looked down at the blonde, trying his best to hide his blush. "Any bright ideas Myra?" Erica asked, leaning heavily against Jack's shoulder stifling another yawn.

She looked over her shoulder from where she had scooted to the railing, before shrugging. "Not really."

"Maybe we could get a ride from Bee or Blue? I'm sure one of them could help us out." Jack suggested.

"Probably..." Myra leaned against the rail distractedly.

Jack glanced down at Erica whose eyes were sealed shut and was curled into his side. The girl was breathing softly and burying her face into his arm. "Myra... I think she's asleep." He stated bluntly, pointing at Eric with his otherwise unused hand.

The dark haired teen shook her head snorting in surprise. "Wow, she must have been _really _tired."

"Apparently..." Miko muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Jack grabbed Erica's shoes and handed them to Raf. The dark haired boy carefully lifted the sleeping blonde into his arms, carrying her bridal style, and looked back at Myra.

"Where are you going?" He asked with a quirked brow making her freeze.

"Uhmm... well, that's a good question with an even better answer." Myra pointed out with a grin. Jack frowned. He wasn't too convinced. The darker haired girl huffed and pointed upwards.

"I thought Optimus said that we should leave him alone." Raf replied.

Myra threw a look over her shoulder to Raf. "He didn't say humans, now did he?" She fully climbed over the railing facing them. "Plus, I bet the police are still lingering around my house like bloodhounds."

"Then why don't we stay at Erica's?" Miko asked.

She paused and thought about the question for a moment. The dark haired girl nodded and then grinned. "Ya know, that's not a bad idea actually. Good one Miko." The Japanese girl looked at the retreating teen and blinked several times at her.

Jack opened his mouth to stop Myra from leaving but he was beaten to it.

"You're not thinking about going to see Mirage, are you, Myra?" All the teens looked up to see a familiar mech with a frown on his face and arms folded across his broad chest. Miko snorted and muttered, "Busted." Jack sent her a dark look and elbowed her hard in the ribs even with Erica in his arms.

"...maybe?" She hung on the bars precariously. "I feel like I owe him a lot, perhaps an apology too." She sighed and leaned her head on the bar. "Yeah, yeah... I'll beat you to the punch and say it's stupid and possibly dangerous."

Bluestreak shot a sarcastic looking grin. "Good. I'm glad you see reason." His expression darkened. "Now, come on. I'm taking you all home before Optimus decides to nail my aft to the wall." He backed away from the railing and transformed into his alt. mode, propping all four doors open. Miko and Raf headed down the stairs first with Jack trailing behind them with a sleeping beauty in his arms.

Myra stayed where she was at, frowning at the Autobot. "Aren't you worried about him at all? You said so yourself, he's your partner."

"And I know when to give him space. He's done it plenty of times for me as well... it's time I owe the favor." Bluestreak echoed through the radio. Jack finally made it down the stairs and placed Erica in the passenger seat before climbing into the back with Raf and Miko.

She continued frowning at him before giving one last look at the elevator. "Alright, if you're so sure about it."

"I'm positive. I've known Mirage since we were kids... he'll confront us when he's ready. Now c'mon, let's get going." Bluestreak called out.

She hesitantly nodded and climbed back over. "I'll take your word on that." The dark haired teen slid in closing the door behind her.

* * *

Knowing that he had won this battle, Bluestreak slowly turned on his engine and began to drive out of the base, heading out of the entrance. He navigated his way through some of the back roads, avoiding any signs of police cars. He drove into Jack's neighborhood before pulling to a stop. Jack said his goodbyes and closed the door behind him. Bluestreak then dropped off Raf at his house and the others watched him sneak in without making any disturbance. Finally, after driving past the street that lead to Myra's house, the Mustang drove into Erica's neighborhood, pulled into her driveway and cut off his engine.

Grumbling, Myra and Miko exited the car and closed their doors. The darker haired girl went over to her friend's side of the car and found the blonde to be sound asleep. Myra's shoulders slumped at the sight of her friend. "And of course my best friend is still asleep." Myra grumbled before grabbing her friend's arm and wrapping it around her neck. "Blue, the door... please?"

Bluestreak wordlessly propped the door open and then activated his holoform startling Myra enough to almost drop Erica. "_Damn!" _She breathed in Italian before shooting a glare at him.

The infamous black haired boy with the blue streak quietly smirked as he gathered the sleeping girl in his arms, jerking his head toward the door. "I hope you got a key because this would be considered breaking and entering... and I already have one of those on my record." He spoke, moving towards the front door with Miko behind him.

"Yeah, hang on..." Myra jogged past him before jumping over the fence that lead into the backyard. Furious barking was then heard followed by curses and a sharp voice saying "Chance shut it! Here! Get the treat... you bloody maniac!" After that was an excited yip and then silence. A couple seconds later the front door opened, revealing Myra with a broad smile on her lips. "_Entrez si vous s'il vous plaît."_ She greeted in French, making Miko and Bluestreak raise their eyebrows.

"I thought you were Italian?" Miko asked, slightly confused.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah so? I know a lot of languages _besides_ Italian. Not as well but I still know some handy words. I even know how to say 'Take me to your leader' in five different languages!"

"Show off." Miko muttered, stomping into the house.

Bluestreak shook his head and went inside, stiffening when Chance began to sniff at his legs. The Border Collie then began to growl at him, baring his teeth, revealing a clean set of pearly whites. Myra snickered at the holoform's predicament as he inched slowly away from Chance's snarling form. Chuckling nervously, he holoform quickly made his way around the dog and headed up the stairs to Erica's room. He gently placed the girl on the bed, hoping not to wake her but to his dismay, she shifted and yawned. Blinking, Erica sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. When she realized that she was in her room, she locked eyes with Bluestreak's human-like ones.

"What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?"

"He carried you inside, dummy." Myra piped up from behind him leaning on the doorjamb with her arms crossed.

"Not helping, Myra!" The two in the room shouted at her.

"Ugh, alright, sorry. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone then." She turned to leave, back the way she had come from and walked out the door dodging the high-heel thrown by Erica without missing a beat.

Erica huffed and sat up on the bed, legs crossed. She looked up at Bluestreak who bent over and picked up her shoe. With a 'hmph', the holoform tossed back the heel which Erica easily caught. The blonde examined her shoe before taking off the other heel and threw both into her open closet. They landed with a heavy _thump_!

Bluestreak ran a hand through his dark hair. "I should - you know, probably get going and leave you three... so... uhm - yeah... Right." The holoform turned to make his leave with an awkward blush on his cheeks.

"Or you could stay." Erica suggested quietly from her spot on the bed.

The boy paused. "Stay? As in the area? Like local vicinity? Or like the house? Or... in the room?" Bluestreak looked over his shoulder a little confused by her request.

Erica shrugged, her blue eyes meeting his. "I guess, if you want, you could stay in my room... with me." The girl bit her lip. She slowly stood up from the bed and sauntered her way over to where Bluestreak was standing.

He turned around. "Erica? Are you… alright? You don't seem..." The holoform paused and watched as the blonde swayed on the balls of her feet. He cleared his throat and finished, "Yourself."

The blonde let out a high-pitched giggle, slapping her hand on his arm. "I'm perfectly fine! Why are you so worried about me, dear ole Blue?" Erica spoke with a glint in her eyes.

He blinked a little at her looking down at the hand that was on his arm. Okay something was not right. Last time they talked she hated his guts, but now she's asking him to stay? Gently removing her hand, the holoform let out a nervous laugh as he backed up a little. "Erica, you're acting very strange." _More so than usual... _"Did you drink anything at the party that you shouldn't have?"

Erica quirked a blonde brow at the boy and scoffed, "It was just a tiny sip. How much harm could a drink to do a girl?" The blonde remarked. She appeared to be offended by his questioning; but that wasn't going to stop her. Erica took a step around Bluestreak, pulled her door closed and pressed her back up against the door. The blonde smirked, blocking Bluestreak's only exit... or he could try for the window again.

After all, it worked out _so_ well last time.

He carefully backed up again, this time for the window. The holoform mused on her words before replying. "A tiny sip of what exactly?" Though he thought he already knew as to what. From what he read it wasn't uncommon for high school parties to have their drinks spiked with something alcoholic. And apparently someone might have done it at the party earlier this evening...

The girl noticed the way Bluestreak was backing away and then laughed shaking her head. "I wouldn't go for the window, if I were you..." The blonde replied in a sing-song voice. She pushed her body away from the door, clasped her hands behind her back and strode towards Bluestreak.

He stopped and focused his eyes on her. It was obvious already. The holoform sent the blonde a nervous smile and took a step back, his knees smacking into the window sill. He looked down to see that it was furnished with two pillows and a small blanket.

Bluestreak slowly turned back to the girl who was even closer than before. "Erica - I - uhm - uhm... heh... I - I believe you're drunk. Or close to it. Whichever you prefer..." He stuttered as the blush crawled its way to his neck.

"Pssh! I'm not drunk! Maybe a bit tipsy, but certainly not drunk, at least not terribly drunk you know?" Erica replied with a wave of her hand. She finally made her way up towards Bluestreak and ran a hand up his arm with a sigh. The holoform swallowed thickly as the girl drew patterns on his bicep.

"I always wondered if that's why my mom gave me up... that she was a drunk who couldn't care less about her infant daughter. Hearing her stupid kid screaming in the middle of night during a thunderstorm but she just kept going back to the bottle..." Erica murmured sadly. She glanced up at Bluetreak and snaked her hand to cup the back of his neck. The holoform visibly swallowed, his mouth going dry.

Tilting her head to the side, Erica blinked several times before whispering, "Maybe it was just too irresistible." And with that said, the blonde surged forward and pressed her lips onto Bluestreak's. The holoform's eyes widened in shock but he slowly closed them, his hands betraying his brain and reaching out for Erica's waist. The blonde who had instigated the kiss, grinned and wrapped both arms around the holoform's neck.

It wasn't long before the kiss broke and Erica was leaning in for more but Bluestreak knew that he had to stop her before things got out of hand.

Bluestreak awkwardly pushed the blonde away who frowned in return. "Erica, Erica stop." He gently kept her at arm's length trying to stop her from approaching him. "It's been a long day and you should go to sleep."

Erica crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed. "Sleep? Sleep?! But we were having so much fun... weren't we, Blue?" The blonde pouted, as if she was a five-year old.

"You're not yourself, alright? You're drunk." Bluestreak patiently remarked.

The blonde threw her head back in laughter. "Oh, so this is when you're actually going to act all gentleman? Come on, don't be such a wuss! I know you liked that kiss because you kissed me back, you damn bastard." The girl snapped angrily.

Bluestreak's mouth dropped, dumfounded. Erica smirked as the holoform appeared to be have slapped before his eyes hardened. "Well, what would you have done?!" He blurted out while advancing towards her. "You took me by surprise, Erica! How do you think I was going to react?!"

"And say if I was to kiss you again, would you stay or jump out the window and run away like last time, you coward?" Erica remarked bitterly. She glared daggers at the holoform and waited for his answer.

Bluestreak stared back. Honestly he didn't know what he would do. For once he was just clueless on what he could say to her. The holoform kept eye contact with her before sighing and shaking his head. He gently pushed past her opening the bedroom door.

He paused in his stride before looking at the blonde's back. With a nod, he murmured, "Good night, Erica." and left the door ajar for Chance.

Feeling hurt and tears stinging her eyes, Erica sniffed and wiped pathetically at her nose. The girl wiped away some of the stray tears and walked over to her unmade bed. She unceremoniously flopped onto her bed and curled into a ball, burying her face into her pillows. After a few moments, the muffled sobs erupted from the teen who clutched onto her pillows, staining her tears with them. It wasn't long before Chance traveled his way upstairs and walked into Erica's room. He found the girl, now asleep, and jumped on the bed. The Border Collie nestled himself by the girl's side and fell asleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, lounging across on the couch in the living room, Myra had a Kindle in her hand and a pair of green buds in her ears. Her foot twitched every now and then to a beat of some tune she was listening to. She didn't know where Miko was, and she didn't care. Blue and Erica were upstairs doing... whatever they were doing and she didn't care about that either.

Grumbling about a certain blonde girl, Bluestreak stomped his way down the stairs and towards the door. His hands were flying away in various gestures and muttering some Cybertronian curses.

Frowning, Myra paused her iPod right in the middle of P!nk and looked over to see Miko curled up on the loveseat, snoring lightly. Listening for a few minutes, she popped her head over the back of the couch surprised to see Bluestreak. "... Blue?"

"I hope you realize that your friend is drunk, decided to kiss me, and is now probably passed out on her bed... You're _welcome_." The holoform stated with a dry laugh.

She mulled over his words before shooting up off the couch, stomping angrily. "I KNEW IT! Someone spiked the damn drinks! I just _knew _that punch tasted funky! They used rum!"

Bluestreak rolled his eyes and began to ramble his way out of the house, "Look, I'm gonna go back to base and check up on the others. Don't do anything stupid. Call me if you run into any Cons. And also..." He paused with his hand on the door frame. He smacked it lightly before regaining his voice. "Just - uh, make sure Erica's okay."

She paused in her grumbling to give him a stiff nod. The dark haired teen then went back to muttering darkly about the fate of a particular exchange student. Myra then froze turning around realizing he had said something else. "Wait did you say she - " But he was already gone.

Myra's shoulders slumped in defeat. "...kissed you?"

* * *

**A/N: Hope you readers have a great week... minus school and snow in certain parts of the world. Thank you for taking time to read and drop a review! More reviews = more chapter updates! :) Also, thought it would be fun to drop a little kiss between Blue and Erica... besides, they're adorable together! Well, don't forget to leave a review and look for the next chapter! **


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer: Yeah. I own nothing. Plain and simple.**

**Author's Note: Holy chiz guys. Another update! Well, on the bright side, I have spring break so I will be working hard on these upcoming chapters, along with my lovely co-author Topkicker26. We have an important announcement to make: THERE IS THE IDEA OF A POSSIBLE SEQUEL! What it is about, I cannot say... but I guess you will just have to wait to find out. ;)**

**So, without further delay, here's your next chapter of Basketball, Robots, and Police Chases!**

**Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, Hungover!Erica, language, and finally... TWINS TWINS TWINS TWINS TWINS! :))**

* * *

Erica groaned as she slowly woke up. It literally felt like someone was pounding on her temple repeatedly with a sledgehammer. Groggily she sat up, and immediately regretted it. Her headache increased tenfold, making her squeeze her eyes in pain. As if moving through molasses, she swung her legs around and placed them on the ground. Her room began to swim and she put a hand to her head emitting another soft groan.

"Wow, Blue wasn't kidding when he said you were pretty messed up last night. Yikes." Came a voice from the doorway. Wearing a pair of faded jeans, a dark purple tank-top with a jacket hanging loosely on her shoulders and a bandana in her hair, Myra had in her hand a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin. The perfect combination for anyone with a hangover... and in this case, that person would be Erica.

"I feel like crap.." The blonde muttered as Myra walked over sitting down next to her handing over the pills and water. She downed the pills draining the entire glass of water afterwards. "Yeah, well, the rum punch has _quite_ the kick." Her friend humorlessly laughed.

Erica finished her water and placed it on the nightstand before glaring at her friend. "I _really_ want to punch you right now but I think I would rather throw up on you." The blonde stated, a shade of green making its way along her cheeks.

"It's not my fault I swear!" The black haired teen put her hands up in defense. "Someone spiked the punch and I honestly believe it was Wes, the bastard. I smelled alcohol on his breath…."

The blonde sighed and rubbed at her temples with a groan. "Right right blame it on your ex… At least I didn't do anything stupid." She muttered. Erica curled back onto her bed, still wearing her dress from the night before, and began to pet Chance who was now awake but chose to be very lazy.

Myra kept a tight lip as her mind drifted to what Bluestreak said last night. "...do you remember anything before you passed out last night?"

"I remember throwing a shoe at you," came the blunt reply.

The black haired teen frowned."That's it?"

Blue eyes turned over to her friend and then quirked a blonde brow. "Myra? Is there something you want to tell me about last night?"

"... Before he left, Blue didn't seem pleased about something." It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the whole truth either.

Erica almost shot out of her bed but had to remember that she was still kind of queasy. The sense of dread washed over as her eyes widened. The blonde was almost sure that she had done something bad or had made a fool of herself... or worse both.

"Myra... what happened?" Erica shakily questioned.

Myra bit her lip, weighing her options, before sighing. "He said something on the lines that you... kissed... him."

Erica's blue eyes blinked several times. She let out a series of laughs but soon noticed that her best friend wasn't laughing along with her. The blonde stopped her laughing as the feeling of realization came to her.

The blonde swallowed thickly before promptly saying, "I think I'm gonna be sick." And with that said, she threw her hand over her mouth and shot off her bed, rushing towards the bathroom.

Still on the bed, Myra cringed at the sound of the door slamming and then looked at Chance. She patted the Border Collie on the head and murmured, "I don't know how you deal with her, boy."

The Collie just thumped his tail in response making her sigh. "Maybe I shouldn't have told her..."

Chance barked once, as if he was saying, 'you don't say?!'

"Ha ha, smartass mutt," she dryly said.

* * *

After a few moments of spending time in the bathroom, Erica trudged back into the room with tears in her eyes. The blonde sniffed and then leaned against her doorframe. Her hair was an absolute wreck, her party dress all mused and wrinkled, and there was no telling what her breath smelled like. All in all, the blonde simply looked pathetic. She thumped her head against the wood and sniffed. Myra could only cringe at the sight of her best friend and tried to give the girl a smile, but it was pretty tough.

Erica sniffed again, wiping her nose. "I messed up, didn't I?" She stated, looking up at the darker haired girl.

She looked up with her grey eyes. "Be lucky it was just a kiss." The teen replied grim. "It could have been… much worse." She stood up and walked over to her friend laying gentle hand on her shoulder. "And sure you messed up, but you must admit... he _is _kind of cute."

Erica laughed through the tears and sniffed, wiping her eyes. "He's probably never gonna talk to me again." The blonde pointed out to her friend.

"... Well, you know, an apology wouldn't hurt." Myra offered. "He should understand you weren't thinking straight last night." She pulled her friend into a hug patting her back.

"You're probably right. It wouldn't hurt to try at least." The blonde nodded and then cleared her throat pulling away from her friend. "Uhm, I better take a shower and clear my head. Then I guess we can go the base..." She murmured with a sad sigh. "And do whatever.."

The girl walked past her friend and pulled out some clothes from her closet. Without muttering another word, the girl headed back to the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

"Great now I really think I shouldn't have said something." Myra groaned under her breath thumping her head with a hand. Sighing she turned on her heel. At about that time her phone went off with a loud _bzzt_ _bzzzt_! Myra pulled it out, frowning before answering up seeing it was her mom.

"This is going to be interesting..." The girl muttered as she exited the room with the phone to her ear.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the base, Ratchet grumbled as he turned around, hearing the all too familiar _'ping'_ from the console. "Now what?"

Exiting from her shared quarters with Arcee, Lunarbolt strode into the communications/med-bay and quirked a curious optic ridge at the mumbling medic. She folded her arms over her chest and walked up to the main console. "Is something wrong, Ratchet?" The femme questioned, standing behind the red and white mech.

"I'm not sure, but it appears to look like we picked up a signal..." He muttered before tapping away at the virtual keyboard. "From what I can tell, it's an Autobot."

The femme nodded quietly, missing the word 'Autobot'. But when it came across her processor, Lunarbolt jerked her head up to monitor. "Do you think it might be the Twins? I mean, you did say that they would be coming in soon."

He sent her a look before focusing on the monitor again scowling. "Primus, I hope not. I am not ready for those two. The base isn't 'twin-proofed' yet. It's bad enough we have Bluestreak and Mirage but the _four_ of them **together**?" Ratchet shuddered at the thought. "I can't even imagine how Optimus deals with them." The medic was tapping away for awhile before stopping his typing. His expressed appeared to be a little surprised. "That's odd. It's Wheeljack."

"Wheeljack? What do you think he wants?" The femme asked, leaning forward to get a good look at the message.

Both of the Autobots read the message. "... He has something that's ours?" Ratchet spoke.

Understanding what the Wrecker had meant, Lunarbolt quickly held a servo to her face, trying to contain her laughter.

Ratchet looked her direction narrowing his optic ridges. "And what pray tell is so amusing?"

Lunarbolt quickly paused her snickering and straightened at the angry-looking medic. The femme shrugged with a smile. "He's probably found the Twins and wants us to pick them up."

Ratchet froze before looking back toward the monitor again, as if that had the answer on it. "Oh please just let it be where Wheeljack is injured..."

Lunarbolt looked at the medic with a confused look. "Doesn't that seem a bit, you know, harsh?" The British Autobot spoke.

"I would rather have that Wrecker lying in a ditch and _dying_ than have those twins on this _planet_." The medic snapped bitterly as he sent a look over his shoulder at her.

The silver femme chuckled at the dismay of her friend and patted him on the shoulder. "If it will make you feel better, I'll go out and see what's going on." Lunarbolt turned away from the medic who glared darkly from behind her. "Think you could get the ground bridge up for me? Might be easier, don't you think?"

Ratchet wasn't convinced. "Do you think that's the wisest choice to go out by yourself?" He stated flatly.

Lunarbolt rolled her optics, feeling like some youngling with her creator. "Oh come off it Ratch, I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my own. I'll be fine." She rotated her shoulder, getting out the kinks and sighed, turning back with a grin. "If it will make you feel better, I'll keep my comm. on."

"Hmph." Ratchet huffed before going to the Ground Bridge controls. "Fine, fine but keep in touch at all times." He ordered.

Lunarbolt grinned and promptly transformed into her alt. mode. The sleek, silver sports car with black and red stripes revved her engine like a new recruit would on their first mission, eager for action. "Come on Ratch! I'm not getting any younger!"

He rolled his optics and opened up the Ground Bridge for her. "Out with you, youngling."

"I'll see you when I get back!" With a laugh, Lunarbolt fired up her engine and sped through the Ground Bridge, leaving nothing but the screech of tires behind her.

* * *

It was another hour before the five teens arrived at the base. Raf was working on some extra assignment from class, typing away on his laptop. Erica was lounging by the railing, texting on her phone. Myra lay sprawled on the couch, watching Jack and Miko's race on the TV. She huffed as she watched the two of them duke it out.

"...man I wish I grabbed my Xbox..." She muttered before flopping her head back on the couch closing her eyes. "It's boring watching someone else play. Especially some dumb racing game..."

Erica sat leaning against the railing, her head pressed against the cool metal. She was now wearing a pair of jean shorts, a floral knit tank-top, and gladiator shoes, with her hair in curls. The girl ran a hand through her blonde hair and yawned loudly.

"Oh come on Myra. If you want to play so badly, why don't you play winner?"

Miko leaned to the left, focusing on her game against the black haired boy and grinned. "Yeah. And the winner would be... ME!" The girl cried as her car had defeated Jack.

The boy frowned and tossed his controller on the coffee table, folding his arms over his chest. He shook his head and watched as the younger girl began to cheer doing her own victory dance beside him. "Laugh it up Miko. Wait until Myra grinds you into the dust." Jack chuckled, standing up and walking over to Erica.

Myra grinned lazily as she picked up the controller, scooting herself over to Jack's spot before perching her feet on the table. "C'mon Miko, let's see you play against a REAL racer."

"Oh, you are so going to lose." Miko smirked. The other girl chuckled before reaching behind her bandana and throwing down a bundle of bills. "Fifty bucks says I don't."

The blonde on the floor laughed and nodded before saying, "Uhm, hate to break it to you guys but I think Raf might be the better racer. I mean, Bumblebee's probably taken him out on races all the time." Erica shrugged.

Myra shrugged. "Not bad for a _twelve year old_."

Raf glanced up from his laptop on the stairs. "I heard that!"

"Want to find out after I cream Miko here?" The raven haired girl looked his direction and smirked.

Afraid of what the taller girl could do, Raf quickly turned back to his laptop, burying himself in more research.

Erica sent her best friend a dark look and rolled her eyes. "That wasn't nice, Myra. No threats. Bad best friend." The blonde spoke. Jack held a hand to his mouth to hide his laughter and snorted into his hand, his shoulders quaking.

"Woof." Myra said dryly as she leveled a look at the two. "Oh come on, I was only teasing. Jeez..." She then averted her gaze at Jack. "And the hell are you laughing at?"

Jack chuckled some more until he was finally able to stop and sighed. "I'm just amazed at the fact that Erica just called you a dog and yet you don't want to punch her in the face." At the mention of her name, the blonde punched the dark haired boy on the arm, exciting a yelp from him. He rubbed at his now sore arm and sulked while Erica continued to lean against him.

She rolled her eyes, indicating Jack's sore arm. "Because _that's_ what happens."

Erica gave her friend a shrug of the shoulders. "Well, you do have the track record to match, Myra." The girl snickered.

Myra winked at her, smirking. "You know it!"

The large room suddenly lit up in a green tinge making Myra jump and fall on the floor. "... the hell is that?!" She yelled while pointing at the source of the strange light.

"Looks like we got a visitor." Jack murmured, helping Erica to her feet. Raf shut down his lap top and placed it next to him. Miko paused her game, stood up, walking over to their smaller friend. The youngest of the trio led the way down the stairs and up to the monitor.

"Who do you think it is?" Miko asked Raf.

The boy shrugged. "I'm not sure. It could be Luna since she's the only one gone." Raf suggested.

"Wait... how many Autobots do they have?" Myra blinked as she leaned up against the rail alongside the others.

"...Too few." Ratchet sighed, his back to the humans.

Erica glanced over at Jack. "What does he mean by that? I mean, those guys just seem to pop up everywhere we go." The blonde murmured quietly.

"The Autobots, sad as it is to say, are on the losing side of this war." Jack explained sadly. "They're always outnumbered and outgunned in every battle. Before Miko, Raf, and I came here, they had lost another member of their team. The only new additions we had were... well." He indicated Mirage and Bluestreak. One had a brooding expression while the other was trying to start up a conversation.

"And Lunarbolt." Raf piped in. "Can't forget her."

"Yeah, her as well." Jack agreed. "... But that was a few months ago."

Erica nodded slowly. "Wow, that sucks." She muttered.

And just like that, the five humans watched as a figure came out of the Ground Bridge, dragging two unfamiliar mechs behind him. It was almost comical; just like how a woman would drag her husband by the ear.

"OW OW OW! We're sorry 'Jack! Just don't throw us into the Pit! PLEASE! OW OW!"

"Please let us go! WE'RE SORRY! OWWW! _MY PAINT!_"

The mech, colored in white, green, and some streaks of red, who was dragging the other two mechs growled before yanking hard. "Shut it you two!"

"... uhh, would someone care to explain to me who those guys are?" Myra leaned over and whispered to Jack. The black haired boy indicated the one dragging the two smaller mechs. "That's Wheeljack. The other two, I'm not so sure. They must be new."

Ratchet groaned at the two mechs that were in Wheeljack's grasp. "Why in Primus's name did you have to bring THEM?!" He gestured at the two unknown mechs. One of the two mechs brightened instantly at the sight of the sour medic.

"Hatchet! Save us!"

Myra slapped a hand over her mouth trying not to laugh_. ... Hatchet?! What kind of name is that?_

Wheeljack stopped in the center of the room before dropping the other two mechs. "Hey Doc, I think these two belong to you." He paused as he noticed the newest additions in the human department. "… You seem to have more in your daycare there."

"Tell me about it." The medic said haughtily not at all pleased with the current situation. One of the mechs, who was an obnoxious golden yellow jumped up before glaring vehemently at the Wrecker. "You scratched my paint, fragger!"

Ratchet sent the two mechs a hard look. "Out of all the Autobots in the entire universe, it had to be _you_ two." He murmured with a shake of his head. Wheeljack snickered, enjoying the medic's misery at the arrival of the Terror Twins.

Striding into the main room, Bluestreak and Mirage heard the familiar voices and instantly tackled the pair of mechs to the ground. "SUNSHINE! SIDERS!" The spy and sniper were acting like a couple of kids on Christmas morning, digging into their presents without a care in the world. And in the end, it was a massive dog-pile of mechs of different paint jobs.

Myra blinked and looked at Erica who had the same look on her face as she did. "... What. The. Hell?"

The blonde stared blankly at the pile of mechs and looked relieved. She laughed nervously and blinked. "Oh good, you see the giant pile of metal limbs... That's some reassurance." She watched Myra with amusement as she was bent over the rail trying not to laugh.

Ratchet yelled in surprise as the wrestling mechs rolled near him and the console before glaring and brandishing his wrench. "What in Primus' name are you doing!? Get up and stop that! You're _Autobots_ not _sparklings_! Get up I say!"

The four mechs stared up at Ratchet, exchanged glances at one another and busted out laughing. It was a while before the rest of Team Prime heard the ruckus and entered the main room. Bluestreak and Mirage helped their friends to their feet, clasping them on the shoulders.

Optimus strode to the front and sent the two mechs a small smile. "Sunstreaker, Sideswipe. I hope that you two did not cause much trouble with Wheeljack." The Prime said with a pointed look.

The former-Wrecker on the other side of the room let out a laugh. "They're all yours Prime. Have fun with them." With that said, Wheeljack transformed and drove out of the main entrance, leaving the Team to deal with the twins.

Ratchet threw a glare towards the Wrecker's direction, wanting so badly to throw something at him as he disappeared around the corner. "Great. Primus must sincerely hate me. Now, I'm stuck with these two..." He groaned.

One of the twins appeared to be offended by this. "Aw, c'mon Hatchet." The silver mech with red accents, obviously Sideswipe, wrapped an arm around the medic's shoulders grinning like an idiot. "You missed us!" He had to duck as a wrench came whistling through the air as Ratchet started to swing it.

"That's **not** my name!" The medic barked.

Miko quietly cackled to herself making Myra raise an eyebrow. "What?"

She pointed at the newest Bots "... Something tells me that those two are pranksters. I have a feeling we will get along swimmingly." The darker haired girl chuckled. Myra's eyebrows rose. "Oh really?" She eyed the two new mechs before cackling herself; rubbing her hands together as if she was some kind of evil villain. Erica patted her friend on the arm and rolled her eyes. Mentally pitying her friend's future victims...

Ratchet glared at the twins for a moment, his anger boiling but then took a step back, his face confused. "I thought Lunarbolt would be with you two..." The base was silent. Something was wrong with this picture. Optimus' face grew concerned while Arcee folded her arms over her chest. Bulkhead looked worried at the mention of their female comrade.

Sideswipe looked at his brother who shared his confusion before looking back at the other Bot. "Uhm, who?" The silver twin questioned Mirage.

"Our current Lieutenant," the spy replied with his optic ridges furrowed. "Ratchet, where did you send her?"

"I sent her to investigate the signal sent by Wheeljack. I just figured something was wrong or that he had the twins with him." Ratchet replied, gesturing to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

Optimus took a step forward, still pressing for answers. "Had she contacted you at all since she left?"

The medic shook his head. "Nothing. I told her that she shouldn't go alone, but she insisted."

Hearing this, Bluestreak's shoulders slumped. Every Autobot in the room knew for a fact that when one goes alone, nothing good would come of it. Even the teens by the railings looked around at each other in worry. Erica reached over and grabbed Jack's wrist, clutching tightly to him. Myra glanced over at Mirage who was looking to the Ground Bridge which was now closed.

Obviously, something was wrong.

* * *

When Lunarbolt finally went through the Ground Bridge, she rolled out and swiftly transformed into her bi-pedal mode. The femme drew out her cannon on her left arm and glanced around her surroundings, finding nothing but dense forest. Something was off about this place, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Lunarbolt withdrew her cannon and tried calling Ratchet from her comm. but nothing went through.

"Ratch? Ratchet? Come on Ratch! It's not funny!" The British femme snapped bitterly. "If this is payback for me stealing your wrench last week, I only did it for your safety! ... And mine."

But all she received was static.

The femme let out a frustrated huff and gave up on the comm. "So much for 'on at all times' you old git." She glanced around the forest and then began to walk deeper into the trees, checking for any signs of life. As she walked on, a silent shape followed her from above. Lunarbolt scanned around the forest ground and found nothing on her scanner. She sighed softly and then heard a faint buzzing from behind her. The femme armed herself with her cannon and prepared to fire at anything that would move.

The buzzing noise stopped abruptly as she armed herself.

Lunarbolt whirled around, aiming her cannon at a large oak tree but found nothing nearby. She shook her head, disarmed herself, and continued on walking through the forest. The femme walked on for a while, her audio sensors on high alert for any sound or movement. The first that occurred were her feet being pulled out from under her making her slam into the ground. Before she could react, she was pinned down by a foot on her throat and a blaster in her face. Lunarbolt shuttered her optics and found herself staring up to see Soundwave's unmoving visor. She glared darkly at the Decepticon's communications officer, trying to swallow but no anvil.

"Good to see you Soundwave." The femme spat, optics narrowed.

She jerked her head to the side, twirled her knee, and swiped her legs from under Soundwave. The femme rolled and jumped to her feet, retracting her cannons and aiming them at the silent mech. The Decepticon just stood there not reacting at all to the cannons being aimed in his direction.

The Autobot lowered her weapons slightly and then stood straight. "I really hope you are not trying to make me look like a fool." Lunarbolt murmured at Soundwave. She examined his frame and then noticed that Laserbeak was missing... _That must've been the buzzing I heard earlier._ The femme thought with a sigh. _Soundwave wanted me to be here... _

The same buzzing noise was heard again and she was then struck in the back of the head by the culprit who turned out to be Soundwave's fateful companion, Laserbeak. Soundwave tilted his head to the side as Lunarbolt fell to the ground, face first and unconscious. The communications office strode towards the fallen Autobot as Laserbeak firmly attached himself to his chest. He knelt down and traced his claws over the femme's face. Soundwave knew that the Autobots would come looking for their comrade, but they would just have to wait...

A voice of a long dead ghost was heard from the silent sentinel. It sounded gruff but kind all the same though it had a slight echo to it. A war hero perhaps? Maybe just an old friend of Lunarbolt's? Hell, a lover? There was no telling who it was, but Soundwave knew that the femme would remember...

_"We had a good run, didn't we Luna? Guess all good things come to an end, right?"_

* * *

**A/N: Alrighty, the first reviewer to guess CORRECTLY who says the quote at the end of the chapter, give have 3 questions for me to answer regarding B, R, and PC. It can be about any character, any chapter, and even about the sequel. ;) I hope you reviewers make use of it because there are some juicy facts about this fic that I know some would want to know. And so, REVIEW GUYS! **

**PS: And TK, you can't guess because you already know who it is.**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Disclaimer: No, I do not Transformers... even though I really want to.**

**Author's Note: Okay, I lied. This is probably the longest chapter in Basketball, Robots, and Police Chases. I really hope you readers had fun reading Chapter Fourteen... especially with the appearances made by Wheeljack and The Twins! WOOT! Look's like those two are going to be sticking around for a while... and what will happen to Lunarbolt? This chapter has the answer. HAPPY READING!**

**PS: Unfortunately, no one guessed the mystery character so I will see if this chapter will help out in any way. My offer still stands of the 3 questions... it can be about anything pertaining the story. Hope you guys can figure it out and find the clues! **

**Warnings: Language, scenes of torture, SOCIOPATH!Shockwave, and PSYCHO!Mirage makes another appearance. **

* * *

Lunarbolt let out a yelp as she was tossed into the brig by a large Insecticon who simply hissed at the femme and slammed the cage shut. The silver femme whirled around and glared darkly at the Insecticon. "Now that is no way to treat a guest! Especially a femme with such high standing like myself, you twit!" The British Autobot called out but the Insecticon paid no heed.

Megatron stood behind the Insecticon, smirking at the captive who currently sat in his brig. He strode forward, pushing the Insecticon aside. "Perhaps, if that were the case, however.. you are not an ordinary femme. Am I right, Lunarbolt?"

Hearing this, the silver lieutenant glowered at the Decepticon war-lord and then winced when she pressed a servo to her dislocated shoulder. Megatron saw the femme's cringe and then motioned for the Insecticon to leave the two alone. Bowing its head, the Insecticon sent Lunarbolt one last hiss, making her glare at the creature before stalking off.

Megatron examined the Autobot's form as his ruby optics trailed up her body. He remembered a time when femmes were not so scarce. For eons, Cybertronians alike did everything they could do to keep their femmes safe. Unfortunately, once the war started, the Decepticons nearly wiped out the femmes and very few survived.

He folded his arms over his chest. "I am very surprised that no one has claimed you as theirs, Lunarbolt. I will say that you are very attractive... for an Autobot."

"Oh, so sorry Megatron, but I'm not selling today, maybe some other time, perhaps?" The silver femme spat with a glare. "And tell your Decepti-creeps that they better keep their grimy servos off or you'll end up missing a couple of drones."

The grey mech chuckled at the Autobot's reply. "Just as aggressive and volatile as you were back on Cybertron, but if I recall correctly you were much harsher and merciless in the ring, were you not?"

Lunarbolt let out a laugh. "Tell that to your second in command and see how he likes it. I _doubt_ he'll agree with you. Especially with that handsome new scar of his. I _really_ hope he enjoys staring at it in the mirror."

Megatron stood stoic and folded his arms over his massive chest. Lunarbolt shifted her weight to where she was facing the Decepticon war-lord and smirked at him. "I will pass that along to Dreadwing."

She still had a smug look on her face. "You go on and do that, Megatron. Meanwhile, I'll just sit here and think about my place in the universe..."

Megatron's lips curled into a cruel smirk. "I am curious though. How is it that a cynical, arrogant and yet very conspicuous femme, like yourself, is able to crawl her way from the depths of Kaon, lure her victims to their graves and end up ranked as Prime's first lieutenant?"

At the words spoken, the British femme snapped her head around and looked harshly at the war-lord. Lunarbolt's optics flashed as her lips curled into a snarl. "That's none of your damn business, you egotistical, pompous, git!" She barked angrily.

"Oh, on the contrary..." The Decepticon warlord chuckled. He knelt down next to Lunarbolt's cell, placing a claw on the bars. "It has been my business the moment you walked onto this ship, _Nightraider_." Megatron snarled. His ruby optics met her cold blue optics.

_Scrap._ Lunarbolt thought but she easily tipped the scales to be in her favor. "Walked? No, no, I don't think so." The femme spat, laughing bitterly. "I think of it more as 'being dragged against my will and thrown into a pit worse than Kaon' than walking Megatron." She lazily looked at her fingers.

With a growl, he snatched the femme by the throat and pulled her up to face him through the bars. Their optics locked onto one another. "If I remember correctly, you were born from the Kaon pits. And your life will end just the same. You will never live to see the light of day and your Autobot friends will never find your body. I can assure you that."

"Then I'll die." She defiantly looked at him. "I am not afraid of you, _Megatronus_. I am not that weak youngling that I once was."

Megatron pulled the femme closer to the bars, a gasp of pain escaped Lunarbolt's lips as his claws tightened around her throat. Her servos reached up to grab onto the warlord's arm but it was no use. "You should be afraid, Nightraider. I _made_ you what you are and I can easily take it from you. And in the end, you will be nothing but an empty, wretched shell."

She jerked her head back out of his grasp and glared at him. "You're wrong. I pulled myself out of those pits and changed myself to be an Autobot." The femme shook her head. "It was never you."

The grey mech snatched onto the femme's throat again and then squeezed. All of that pent up rage from eons ago had rose to the surface and Megatron was determined to have the last laugh. His optics burned in fury as he stared down at Lunarbolt's struggling form. "_YOU_. _ARE. NOTHING. WITHOUT. ME_." He growled, his claws sinking into her throat. Energon began to stain on his claws as Lunarbolt scratched at his huge servo, trying to break free but the odds were not in her favor this time. He was just too strong and she slowly felt her life fading as he gripped tighter.

Megatron waited a few moments before dropping the silver femme to the ground. The Autobot hit the floor with a 'thud' and then lifted her head to see the grey mech staring at her. The Decepticon opened the cell and strode in, closing the door behind him. Lunarbolt let out another gasp in pain as she was lifted into the air by her throat again and slammed into the wall.

"You may not survive your time aboard the _Nemesis_, **Nightraider**. Now, if you answer my question in regards of your base's location, I may consider keeping you as a pet. But if you refuse, I will personally have the honor of terminating Prime's favorite and I shall send you back to the Autobots as a warning. And I can assure you that your death will be slow and painful."

Lunarbolt struggled for breath and spat out, "Go ahead. Kill me. Because I am not saying a word to you; I will not betray my friends."

But she was surprised when Megatron released her from his grip and she once again fell to the floor. The femme watched as the warlord turned his heel and strode out of the cell. Lunarbolt growled as Megatron looked back towards her with a sadistic smirk on his lips. She could see his fangs as they gleamed in the dim light of the brig.

"I see that the long years of being an Autobot haven't tamed you, Nightraider." Megatron remarked. He narrowed his optics with a cackle, before sighing with a shake of his large helm. "Why hide what you really are? You are a cold-blooded killer and yet you degrade yourself with those soft Autobots."

The silver femme glared at the Decepticon. "I am not like you, nor will I ever be. I suggest you get that through your thick processor."

Megatron closed the cell's door with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "You lie to yourself, but if you're too blind to notice what you are truly capable of then I won't waste my time standing around here all day."

The Autobot felt a pang in her spark as she crawled towards the front of the cell. She laid a servo on the bars and gripped onto the metal tightly pulling herself up to a wobbly standing position. "What makes you think that I'm lying to myself? I'm actually _vaguely_ interested in what you have to say."

The warlord ignored his prisoner, turning his attention to the Vehicon on guard. "Make sure she does not escape. Do not underestimate her. She has gotten herself out of worse situations."

Lunarbolt appeared to be offended. She shook her head and grinned. "Come on Megatronus! You say that you know me better than anyone!" The silver femme called, frowning afterwards when she gained no response from the Decepticon war lord. Knowing what she must do, Lunarbolt leaned up against the bars of the cell and called out, "Of course, you always preferred one-night stands, correct? That way you never got close!"

Megatron paused in his stride. Lunarbolt smirked. _Oh, looks like I nicked a nerve there, didn't I? _The femme thought.

He slowly turned to look at the defeated-looking Autobot femme and glared daggers at her, ruby optics bearing into her blue ones. He strode towards cell and knelt down in front of the bars where the femme was sitting, his gaze piercing hers. "If you dare say a word about what happened on Cybertron, I will personally rip out your spark and feed it to the Insecticons. They do enjoy energon but they have a liking for Autobot sparks as well."

Lunarbolt's facial expression remained unchanged. The war-lord leaned forward and smirked, his fangs peeking out from behind his grin. The silence was thick between the Autobot and Decepticon. After a few moments of their intense glaring match, the former gladiator stood up, turned his back on her, and finally stalked away. He shot the Vehicon a dark look, swiping out his blade and pointing it at the drone's exposed neck with a growl. "Do as I command or you will pay the price!"

The silver femme coughed as the sliding doors closed behind the taller mech and his drone. Lunarbolt hacked again and sprayed some energon on the floor. She wiped away the blue energon from her mouth and glanced at her surroundings. It wasn't special. The only things in there were a few shackles hanging on the walls and a couple of spots of dried energon on the floor. _So much for any sort of company._ Lunarbolt shifted her weight to where she pressed her back against the wall.

_Brilliant... Just brilliant. Dislocated shoulder, a broken ankle plate, a couple of torn cables in my arms and legs, claw marks on my throat... Ratchet is going to have a bloody field day when he sees me next. _Lunarbolt thought sarcastically with a roll of her optics. The femme leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. She tilted her head back and shuttered her optics, slipping into a light recharge.

* * *

But it wasn't long before she was dragged out of her cell by Dreadwing who seemed all too happy at the chance of roughly hauling the femme from her cell. As she fought back, Dreadwing only held on tighter to the struggling Autobot. Within moments of arriving to his destination, the Decepticon flier sneered at the femme and tossed her into another room on the war-ship. Before she could whirl her helm around, something connected and knocked her unconscious. It was not long before the silver femme woke up _again_ and found herself shackled tightly to the wall, slowly regaining consciousness.

"_Primus _that is going to hurt in the morning..." the silver femme muttered at the dull ache in her processor. She let out a moan and shuttered her optics, trying to survey her surroundings. Lunarbolt could not see very well due the lack of light. The only light she saw was a dull red glowing across the room, akin to an optic. _If that's who I think it is…_

Sure enough a large mech rivaling Megatron in size appeared in the low light. The newly arrived Shockwave just stood there slowly at a table running his servos over the various devices spread out neatly on the table surface. He contemplated on which one to use first on the femme. His glowing red optic scanned over an electric shocker and his lips curled up into a cruel smirk. He glanced over to the chained femme and instead picked up a large energon dagger that was laced with the smallest amount of poison on the tip of the blade.

He looked up at the femme before going back to scrutinize the dagger. "Have you ever experienced extreme pain, Autobot?"

Confused, Lunarbolt brought her helm up to look at him. "What's it to you, Cyclopes?" She succeeded at a small grin. The silver femme fought back the pain in her wrists and continued to speak. "Unless you forgot, I use to fight in the Pits. Pain just happens to be my best friend. It's the one thing that proves to me that I am still alive."

The sociopathic scientist chuckled. His laugh sent a shudder down Lunarbolt's spinal strut as he stepped out of the shadows, fully revealing his dark color scheme. "Not for long, femme. Lord Megatron has given me instructions that I should bring you to the brink of death. I am not to be trifled with." Shockwave countered as he strode up to the chained Autobot. He raised the dagger and gently pressed it close to Lunarbolt's neck, grinning maliciously like a child with a new toy.

"Megatron can throw himself off the _Nemesis_ for all I care." She snapped with her blue optics meeting Shockwave's red optic.

"Is that so? In that case, instead of Megatron, we may have to settle with you. I believe your Autobot friends would be in for a _real_ treat..." Shockwave chuckled and then pulled the dagger away before driving it into the femme's shoulder.

Lunarbolt let out a gasp of pain but then bit her lip to stop from screaming out in agony as she tightened both of her bound hands. Shockwave simply laughed, watching the femme struggle to fight back her screams. The darkly colored mech enjoyed hearing his victims screech. It was like music to his audio receptors.

Shockwave leaned close and whispered. "It's alright, you can scream... Unfortunately, no one can hear you." He plunged the dagger deeper into Lunarbolt's shoulder, sinking it into an energon line.

"I... do... not... scream." She gritted her dental plates painfully while trembling.

The Decepticon frowned and then slowly pulled out the dagger. Lunarbolt slumped forward, panting and grunting in pain. His optic was trained on the femme. He tossed the poisoned dagger to the ground and then grabbed another dagger from his table, this one almost ten times more powerful than the one before. Without even saying a word to Lunarbolt, Shockwave sunk the dagger into the silver femme's other shoulder, cutting through energon lines and remained stoic.

At that moment, Lunarbolt had never experienced pain like this. Maybe that's what Shockwave was saying about true pain. As the poison seeped its way into her system, she couldn't handle it anymore and she finally did scream in pain. Like a shot in the dark, Lunarbolt's screams could be heard throughout the war ship, echoing off the walls and seeping through the air vents. Shockwave's lips widened gleefully at hearing the femme screech to the point where her voice became hoarse.

The mad doctor wrenched out the dagger of the femme's shoulder and tossed it behind him. There was no use for it now. He had the femme right where he wanted her. Shockwave leaned forward and tapped the femme on the side of her head. "Now, that wasn't too hard, was it?"

Gritting her dental plates, Lunarbolt spat at the Decepticon scientist, spraying him with a good amount of energon. Shockwave stepped back and wiped the blue energon off his plating, now slightly offended if not angry. He continued to stare at the femme, his single optic blazing angrily at her.

With her lips quivering, Lunarbolt muttered gruffly, "G-go f-frag y-yourself."

The Decepticon chuckled and then picked up another dagger. But this one wasn't laced with poison. It was just a normal Cybertronian dagger. Shockwave examined the femme's state and then tapped the dagger on her helm. "Where is the location of the Autobot base?"

"Mind your own damn business, Cyclopes!"

_Time to open up, Lunarbolt._ The mech thought as his lips curled into a cruel grin that would make most mechs cower in fear. Shockwave tapped the femme's helm again with the dagger's hilt. "Such a quick answer." The Decepticon flicked the dagger away from the femme's helm and then traced it around the side of her jaw. "This is a safe place; why not share what is going on in that pretty processor of yours?"

Lunarbolt brought her helm up and seethed at the menacing Decepticon. She stayed quiet however, hardly reacting to the now bleeding wound. Energon dripped down her jaw and landed on her silver frame, sliding its way down her body. And still no words came out of her mouth.

Shockwave sighed and shook his head. The dagger trailed away from Lunarbolt's jaw and then swept down to her chest. It now rested over her spark chamber. Shockwave's grin grew mad. "Such a shame. A pathetic and lowly lieutenant falls in love with her best friend but then he so tragically dies. Such a sad tale. He was a great warrior too..." Shockwave mocked, curling the dagger in his servo.

Lunarbolt felt the energon running through her veins become cold with fear as her processor flashed a memory of a large mech with blue optics and a red and grey paint job to match. _What the bloody hell is he playing at?_ The femme thought as the scientist continued to fiddle with the dagger like it was some toy.

The sociopath tapped the blade again on Lunarbolt's already bleeding shoulder. "And yet, here you are and in love once again. And what's this? Your commander nonetheless!"

The silver Autobot flinched but was quick to answer.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, _Cyclopes_." She ground out, her optics flashing with anger. "But you're just too dim-witted to realize that, so you know what? I'll level with you." Lunarbolt paused. "I'll never tell you where they are. You will have to kill me first."

Shockwave leaned back and then began to laugh. His laughter became maniacal and border-line psychotic. He continued to let out a stream of laughter, letting the chuckles echo off the chamber walls.

"What's your problem, glitch head?"

Just as fast as he started, Shockwave stopped even faster. He grinned as his optic glowed brightly. "Your precious leader will never love you. No one can love a _destructive_, _weak_, _filthy_ _slut_ like you, Lunarbolt. Even in the Pits, no one loved you. You were born an orphan and abandoned because your creators did not love you."

Lunarbolt looked as if she got slapped as she stared at him now speechless. Her helm lowered slowly, flinching at the next set of words that came from Shockwave's mouth.

"Tell me if I'm wrong, Lunarbolt! Please, enlighten me! But I have seen the way you fought in battle. There is no sense of compassion or remorse. You've killed mechs with your bare servos and walked away, leaving the energon stains on your frame to stay. I wonder if even your own commander knows about your past life." Shockwave snickered.

"What the bloody hell do you know about my life?!" She snarled.

Shockwave took the dagger that was placed over Lunarbolt's chest and stabbed it into her side and twisted the blade, hearing the femme gasp in pain. He leaned close and then began to chuckle into Lunarbolt's audio receptor. "I know _everything_ about you Nightraider."

She slumped forward, her vision now flickering. "My name is Lunarbolt." She groggily said. The femme let out a cough and energon dribbled down her wounded jaw. "I abandoned that life as soon as I joined the Autobots."

"I am afraid that the past you tried so hard to run away from has finally caught up with you." Shockwave whispered. He pulled out the dagger and then looked at the femme's bleeding form. The mech smirked at his work and then tilted Lunarbolt's head up to where they were inches apart from each other. "Our session will have to be cut short, but I cannot wait to see you again. Until then."

She moaned lowly in pain but she still managed out a few words before falling into the black pit of unconsciousness, "I... Would hate to be late..."

* * *

On the outside of the scientist's lab, Knock Out stood against the wall, his arms folded over his newly finished chest. The Decepticon medic knew at first hand that Shockwave's methods were... _unorthodox_. He waited as the doors slid open, revealing the crazed-scientist with a look of pride on his face. The Decepticon scientist turned to the smaller mech and smirked at the gleaming red mech.

"I need you to patch her up for me. I am not finished with her yet for Megatron requires a report of my findings so far. I'm ensured you will not disappoint me, yes?" Shockwave muttered with a single glare towards the lower ranking doctor. With a turn of his heel, the sociopath strode away from his lab and left the smaller mech to deal with the aftermath. Knock Out shuddered at the thought of what Shockwave may have in store for the Autobot femme but pushed it aside as he entered the lab with his equipment.

His optics trained on Lunarbolt's chained form. And quite frankly, it wasn't a pretty sight. Blue energon was seeping from stab wounds as they had already begun to heal on their own. There was a massive amount of visible claw marks on her neck from Megatron's earlier encounter with her and several torn cables. He could see some broken plating on her shoulder and ankles, making his tank churn at the sight of her damaged frame.

The medic knew it would be a lot of work but Knock Out was pretty good at his job.

* * *

Over the past few hours, the base had been abnormally quiet. Most of Team Prime had gone back to their rooms without a single word since they discovered that one of their own was missing. Many of them feared that she had been taken by Decepticons or even MECH for that matter. But so far, there was no evidence that would suggest either party had done it. All the team could do was wait and pray that Lunarbolt would come back safe... and alive for that matter.

After hearing the grim news of their missing lieutenant, most of the other Autobots had dispersed. The only four that remained in the main foyer were the two newest Bots, Bluestreak, and Mirage. "So, now what..?" Sideswipe asked, his optics glancing between Mirage and Bluestreak.

The sniper shrugged his large shoulders and said, "We could give you a tour. Not much to see but Ratch probably would never forgive us if we didn't give you guys a proper tour... right, Raj?" The grey mech turned to his partner who had his arms folded over his chest.

He nodded smiling faintly. "It's good to have a couple of familiar faces on the team for once." The spy nudged his silver comrade fondly. "Should be like old times, eh Sides?"

"Other than Bluestreak's face of course." Sideswipe chuckled. "And of course, someone has to keep the ol' Ratch on his toes."

Sunstreaker snorted from his spot against the wall. "Yeah, but Bluestreak's got a face only a femme could love, right Blue?" The yellow front-liner teased with a grin.

The sniper scowled at his friend. "Very funny, Sunshine."

"It's prettier than your ugly mug, Sunny." Mirage chuckled as Sideswipe got cuffed in the head by his scowling brother. "Don't call me that."

Bluestreak placed a servo on his chest and grinned innocently at the twins, patting his spark chamber. "I can feel the love." The sniper dropped his hand and then motioned for the two brothers to follow him.

Sunstreaker strode up to Bluestreak and the two walked beside each other. The yellow mech glanced over at the sniper and asked, "So, what's this lieutenant, Lunarbolt, like?"

"She's... hard to describe." He admitted after a long pause.

Sideswipe was the next to speak. "She can't be that bad."

"Get on her bad side and she can slug you a pretty good one..." He jerked his head backwards indicating Mirage. "Just ask him."

Sunstreaker was instantly curious. He quirked an optic ridge at the spy and grinned. "Alright, I gotta hear this story. How did that happen?" The yellow mech asked as the four entered a larger room with two make-shift cots for the twins.

Mirage looked darkly at the front-liner. "I'd rather not talk about it." He murmured. Sideswipe pushed the spy on the arm, trying to convince the mech to tell his story. Even Bluestreak, who was standing in the doorway, was curious. Sure, he had already heard the story over a hundred times but it never seemed to get old. Hell, it just seemed to get funnier every time it was told.

"Oh c'mon Raj, tell them how you decided to go up to her and ask her out... only to be on the ground, face-down with your arm behind your back within 30 seconds, " Bluestreak commented with a chuckle.

"You and I remember that _very_ differently." He moodily muttered as the three other mechs started to crack up laughing.

Bluestreak shook his head and tried to stop himself from laughing. "Nope, I remember it very well Raj, and I'll just say it now; you got your aft handed to you on a silver platter." He shot back, grinning brightly.

"Primus, she must be quite a handful then..." Sunstreaker said with a whistle. Sideswipe glared at his brother and slugged him on the shoulder, trying to keep him from blurting out too many comments. Hearing this, Bluestreak was the first to look at Mirage for any signs of an unnecessary reaction. The energon in his veins froze when he saw the red spy's servo twitch.

Mirage shook his helm putting a servo to it. "She is... Though I _doubt_ she'll go for the likes of you Sunstreaker."

"What makes you say that? I'm a pretty good-looking mech." The yellow mech stated arrogantly as if it was a proven fact. Sideswipe sent Bluestreak a worried glance which the sniper easily caught.

"Ehh... Well you seem to be too attached to your paintjob." Mirage pointed out.

Sunstreaker continued to push at the assassin. "You said you made a pass at this femme and she rejected you. Was it because she knew you were a coward or that you have the tendency to leave mechs behind?" The yellow mech questioned with a smirk.

Bluestreak cringed at the words the front-liner had used. This would clearly not end well. He could only hope that Mirage wouldn't attack the other mech...

Sideswipe grabbed his brother's arm and squeezed. "Lay off, Sunny." He ground out in a warning tone.

Mirage's normally blue optics narrowed dangerously, a tinge of red creeping into view. All three mechs in the room could see it, but no one said anything. The spy's lips curled into a snarl as he growled out, "I was rejected because of my own fault and arrogance _Sunstreaker_ and you should do well to remember that. I am _not_ the coward you say I am to be."

"That's not what I remember..." Sunstreaker taunted. "What about your old mentor, Jazz, huh? He died... and it was _your_ fault."

"Sunstreaker, you need to stop..." Bluestreak pleaded but he was cut off by a low growl from Mirage. The sniper quickly looked at his partner and saw gleaming red optics staring not at him, but at Sunstreaker. The intimidating red mech stepped forward fists clenched. "What did you say?"

"C'mon Sunny this isn't funny!" Sideswipe reached out to grab his brother by the shoulder but was shoved away by the angry yellow mech. Sunstreaker took one step toward Mirage and smirked at him.

The yellow front-liner pointed an accusing finger at the spy, pushing hard into his chest. "You killed Jazz. And you know it."

And that's when all Hell broke loose.

It was unbelievable at how fast the spy could move. One moment he was glaring down the front-liner the next he had punched the mech before slamming him against the wall one arm pinning him by the throat. "I DID NOT KILL JAZZ!" He roared into his face.

Jumping into action, Bluestreak snatched the assassin by the middle and attempted to pull him back but the mech was clearly stronger than him. Sideswipe had also joined in, trying to pry Mirage's arm from his brother's throat. Sunstreaker's optics were wide in not just excitement but fear as well. Mirage began clawing and fighting his way to reach towards the front-liner but Bluestreak wasn't going to let his partner go just yet.

However, little did the mechs know, their own commander, Optimus Prime himself was walking down the same corridor and had heard the commotion. He made his way to the room and was shocked to see a red-eyed Autobot had taken the place of his spy. Knowing he had to intervene before someone could be killed, the Prime strode into the room, yanked Mirage from Bluestreak and threw him to the floor.

"ENOUGH!" He bellowed.

All four Autobots looked shocked in their own way. "Optimus sir...!" Sideswipe scrambled to stand from where he had fallen. "I'm sorry, really sir, it - it was my brother..." He stammered but then withered under the steely glare of his Commander.

Mirage on the other hand couldn't even meet his optics. He knew without a doubt he had fragged up. _Again._

The Prime simply held up a servo, his optics staring down at the fallen assassin. "Mirage." A visible flinch came from the red mech. "Come with me. NOW." Another flinch, but this time it was from Bluestreak. He had only heard that tone from Optimus once before... and he sure as hell didn't want to hear it ever again. Without saying another word, the largest mech of the vicinity walked out of the room but paused in the hallway.

"Do not make me tell you twice, Mirage." It was a quiet but still obvious threat.

The red mech wordlessly followed behind his leader, not meeting his fellow Bots' optics, especially Bluestreak's.

The Prime led Mirage into another room, much darker and further away from the main room of the base. He unlocked the door and motioned with a stiff servo for the red mech to walk in. With his helm still bowed in shame, Mirage trudged into the dark room and heard the door close behind his commander.

Optimus still kept his door on the handle but then slowly turned towards the assassin, his tone full of disappointment.

"I hope you have a good reason for assaulting one of the members on this team, Mirage." The red and blue mech stated simply.

"I want to say I did it for a femme's honor..." He stated flatly before averting his optics. "But unfortunately that's not the truth." Mirage sought to find the right words to explain but in the end he still struggled. "Sunstreaker... believed I was the reason Jazz died."

Optimus nodded and said, "I see."

He looked over at the assassin and frowned. The Prime noticed that mech was not looking at him. "Mirage, look at me." He commanded gruffly.

The red mech hesitantly looked up at his Commander in response.

Blue optics narrowed. "If you dare threaten another member of this team, regardless of what they have said or done, I will not hesitate to forcibly remove you from this base and you will no longer be a part of the Autobots. Is that understood?"

He nodded briskly and replied with a promise in mind. "Yes... sir. It won't happen again..."

The Prime gave his spy one final nod before murmuring, "I will hold you to that."

* * *

**A/N: Wow. That was a filling chapter. Hopefully it didn't scar some readers for life and I won't have a lawsuit on my doorstep. But no matter, hope this chapter filled some gaps and gave you all a good idea of who this mystery mech is that plays a big part in Lunarbolt's past. :) Don't forget to REVIEW! Topkicker26 and I love to hear from you all! Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Disclaimer: Nothing. I own nothing. Maybe I can wish on a star and it will come true... NAH.**

**Author's Note: Crazy guys. A new chapter right after school ends and now summer is finally here! This means more updates and more time to work on other stories! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter because this one is just as good. Not as mentally disturbing but you get the idea. **

**Warnings: Mentions of character death(s) and minor foul language. **

**Enjoy the read!**

* * *

If there was one thing Optimus did not like about being the Autobot commander, it was the interrogations. Yes, he took part in some of these interviews but most of the time he left that job to his second-in-command, Prowl, and the head of special ops, Jazz. The duo would normally demonstrate the technique called "Good Cop, Bad Cop" (as the humans would say) and use it to their own advantage. And most of time it would work. However, there were special cases where "force" was a key factor.

Although Optimus had taken part in his fair share of Decepticon interrogations, he was uneducated with the art of speaking to his own soldiers. That responsibility fell onto Jazz. The Prime knew that the mech could easily find a mole in the ranks and snuff them out in a matter of weeks. And Jazz would make sure that this mole, mech or femme, would be labeled as a traitor and not be welcomed back into the Autobot ranks.

And that was one of the Prime's weaknesses: His sense of compassion.

Now that he had to conduct his own interrogation, Optimus was determined to find a logical reason behind Mirage's mental breakdown. He had seen mechs break under pressure but nothing like this. It did come to as a shock to him but he had to think of the team as well. The Prime stood tall from across the room, his arms folded over his large chest and optics glancing over Mirage's tense frame. The assassin had been interrogated before, most of the time by Jazz who would corner him and ask him of his whereabouts when he was suppose to be on patrol.

Oh, those were the fun days.

But now, Optimus mused sadly, Jazz and Prowl were gone. They would neither lead an interrogation nor ever go off on a patrol again. He was constantly reminded of their absence every day he spent in this world. Since he and his fellow Autobots were now living on Earth, he couldn't help but think of how Jazz would have just loved this planet. It was full of different cultures and various genres of music that would have made the mech a very happy Autobot.

Oh how he hated this war sometimes. In the beginning, Optimus watched good mechs and femmes fall with every battle that appeared on their doorstep. The Prime sometimes even doubted the survivability of recruits he had met in the past. Their optics were bright with enthusiasm and were eager for the fight. It would have hurt less when he found out they had died.

He mentally sighed at that.

In short, there were moments in which he wished he was never chosen to be Prime.

* * *

Mirage, on the other hand, was a different sight. His blue optics, still slightly tinged with red, stared dully at his claws. He twirled his hand around, tiredly examining his claws and exhaling loudly. The assassin had more important things to be doing... and being interrogated by his commanding officer was not one of them. Now, the red mech had a deep respect for his commander and would do anything the Prime ordered. But there were times when Mirage's thoughts would wonder and question his leader; though they did not appear to come as often as they did. His time on the human-infested planet had changed his personality and feelings towards his teammates... especially that pesky swimmer.

Not that he would admit it of course. Humans still annoyed him to no end and he would happily leave this planet if there was a reason to. Mirage's attention was dragged from his fingers as Optimus cleared his throat. He could tell his leader was inexperienced with these types of things. Why would he since he had others to do it for him?

"Mirage, your recent behavior has caught my attention and I want to discuss it with you." The Prime spoke, stepping away from the wall.

He internally winced. _Of course_. "...what would you like to know sir?"

Optimus stared down at the smaller mech. "It is not a matter of 'what'; it is more of a 'why'." The Prime sat down across from the assassin. The red and blue mech chose his next few words carefully, asking, "Why did you assault Sunstreaker?"

"Like I said before I was dragged in here ... He said I had killed Jazz." He repeated his earlier statement before he had been dragged into this room for this useless interrogation.

"I know." The Prime stated bluntly. "But there is something else you are hiding. Is that right, Mirage?"

"What else is there to say Optimus? I got angry because he accused me of something I did not do." He hoped Optimus wasn't as good as picking out lies as Jazz and Prowl were. Those two knew how to hunt for them and it usually ended up with him being cornered.

The Autobot commander rubbed his face. This was already going _oh so well_. "Let me try this again. There is someone else involved, isn't there? And it is not Jazz to whom I am referring too. Someone else that is close to you." Optimus replied with concerned optics on Mirage.

The Prime may not be well-experienced with interrogations; but he knew when someone was lying and Mirage was slightly impressed if not annoyed too. _Primus. Couldn't he leave well enough alone? It was none of his business in the first place. _Mirage set his jaw as he looked into his leader's optics. "There is no one else."

Optimus was not fully convinced of his spy's response. Slowly, the red and blue mech folded his hands over the other and stared directly at the assassin. His optics were piercing, burning holes into Mirage's own optics. "Do not lie to me, Mirage. Jazz may have taught you how to lie to a Decepticon, but surely, he taught you not to lie to your superiors." The Prime remarked, optics darkening.

Mirage held his position as he ground his dental plates together in frustration before crossing his arms and glaring at the wall. "... Fine. There is someone." He muttered after a long brooding silence.

The Prime could sense the resentment coming from the assassin and said, "I am not your enemy, Mirage. Now, who else is involved?"

The spy continued glaring at the wall before faltering somewhat. Much as he would hate to admit it, Optimus was right. He wasn't the enemy. He was his Prime, his leader. But was that enough for Mirage to tell him? He spent a long time wallowing in his silence before sighing and turning to face him. "...Do I have your word that you will not say anything of this to anybody else?"

"You have my word as a Prime." The red and blue mech spoke solemnly with a small nod of his helm. "This conversation will not leave this room."

_And that was as good as it was going to be_, Mirage decided.

"... It's Knock Out." He started hesitantly.

"Knock Out?" Optimus repeated the confusion present in his tone. Why would the Decepticon's head medic be involved with his spy?

"He's..." Mirage couldn't believe he was telling his own commander this. "…He's my brother."

The Prime was shocked as his pieced the puzzle together. Although the two mechs were different in factions, they were both abrasive, stubborn, and hot-headed. And there were similarities in their own build as well, including that smirk they shared during battle. Optimus shuttered his optics, unsure of what to say next. He simply sighed and then looked at the sullen looking assassin.

"Why would you keep this secret at bay, Mirage?"

He laughed dryly as he sat up. "You and I both know most Autobots are not too fond of me, especially since Jazz was killed. A Decepticon as a brother would only cement the idea that I'm some kind of traitor."

"But you aren't a traitor, are you, Mirage?" The Prime asked, prying for more details and hoping that the red mech would open up to him.

"No... I'm not." He bitterly said with a laugh. "I hold no loyalty to the Decepticons. I used to believe that this war would stop as soon as it started for the good of the planet." The spy sighed before closing his optics. "But I was wrong. It continued and the Decepticons took everything away from me. My family, my home, my caste, my dignity..."

"And then Jazz found you wandering around enemy territory. He brought you back to the base and you become like a second son to him." Optimus finished sadly for the assassin.

He opened his optics but he wasn't looking at his leader as he nodded. "...yes." He breathed.

Optimus was tempted to reach out to comfort the hurting mech but decided against it. He simply lowered his head and murmured, "I am sorry for all that you have lost."

But when he did say something, it was something quite shocking. "Of course, you would be sorry..." The spy said bitterly. "I mean it's not like you ever lost someone close to you."

Optimus was slightly stunned by this. "I've lost many who were close to me. Jazz, Prowl, Ironhide... all them were close friends of mine and I mourned their loss just as you did." The Prime remarked angrily.

"Oh sure. You lost compatriots." He looked up at him."But have you ever lost any family? Or a femme who loved you and stood by your side? No, you haven't lost any family or loved ones. But I have. My family shouldn't have been in this damn war in the first place."

"And each death of those friends was just as painful as the last. I watched good mechs protect and die for their friends and families." Optimus reminded the assassin. "I am not the one who uses death as an excuse to inflict unnecessary violence against his own comrades." The Prime stated gruffly.

He abruptly stood up with a now rising temper. "At least it's better than pretending I do have an excuse!" Mirage snapped. "What about Luna? She's both your lieutenant and friend, right? Now she's on a Decepticon war-ship probably being tortured to death by Megatron, Shockwave, or perhaps both! Does that not bother you?"

The red and blue mech shot from his seat as well, his normal calm demeanor gone and replaced with new anger. "Of course it bothers me! I know that the femme who has risked her life dozens of times for the Autobots and for her commander is being held against her will aboard the Nemesis and with Megatron eager to gain new information!"

"What are you doing then to get her back then?!" He glared. "All I'm seeing is you do is dragging me into a useless interrogation over something that you _know_ Sunstreaker deserved!"

"I am doing my job, Mirage!"

"And what is that?" The red mech growled with a glare.

The Prime was quiet at first, the question hanging heavily in his processor. He made up for his silence with a single threat: "I hereby confine you to the base until further notice. No missions. No patrols. You can only leave if you are escorting Miss Daniels back to her home."

He felt like he got slapped and he stared incredulously at Optimus before straightening looking him in the optic. "As much as you won't admit it you're going to need me in future missions."

"Now that's enough, Mirage. I strongly suggest you apologize to Sunstreaker and make yourself comfortable for the time being." Optimus snapped. "You will be here for some time." The Prime strode out of the interrogation room, slamming the door behind him and heading towards his quarters.

He just stared at where his leader exited before he slumped down in the chair. "...You know, Jazz... You told me stories about the great Optimus Prime when you took me the base for the first time..." He muttered out loud, glancing up at the ceiling as if his old mentor was there. "Primus, I even looked up to him... now I'm starting to see that maybe he's not what the stories say." Mirage shuttered his optics before resting his elbows on the table and grasping his helm between his servos.

"...What have I done?" The spy miserably whispered.

* * *

There was a thick, depressing blanket over the teens who were staying in the underground base. As for the teens, they were all eerily silent. Even though Myra and Erica did not know Lunarbolt that well, they still felt like it was a crime that she was gone from the base. The other three teens knew the feeling unfortunately very well, having experienced the prolonged absences of their Cybertronian companions far too often for their liking.

Erica leaned against Jack's shoulder, her blue eyes sad. His arm was wrapped around her shoulder, holding the girl close to his chest. The two had become close over the last few days... and ever since Bluestreak and Erica had their fight, Jack was the one there to help. The blonde sighed and looked over at her best friend. Myra had her legs up to her chest and had her arms around them, her chin on her knees. There was sense of silence that lingered over the base, as if someone had died within the past 24 hours. Miko lay on the couch with Raf, the Japanese girl had her legs draped over the arm of the chair while Raf was on the opposite side. Even at a time like this, Raf could not bring himself to pull out his laptop. Instead, the laptop lay tucked away in his bag, leaning up next to the black TV.

"You... wouldn't think you would be so attached to someone so soon.." Myra hesitantly said her voice a little awkward in the deafening silence. "And to someone so... unhuman." She furrowed her eyebrows. "It's still hard to believe there are such things as aliens. Harder even to have met them, in person."

Jack's voice broke Myra's murmurs with a confident tone in his voice. "We've all felt that way at least once." The black headed girl looked at Jack as he spoke. "And they're more human than you realize too. You just haven't really gotten to know them yet like we have."

"They're like family." Miko stated sadly.

Raf nodded in agreement with Jack and Miko. "They've always been there. Even when we didn't think we needed them..."

Jack glanced down at Erica who looked up and whispered, "Do you think they'll kill her?"

Even a question like that hung heavily in the tense air.

"She's... a tough lady. I doubt she'll let some Decepticons kick her around" Though even Jack doubted his own words. How, when he, Miko, and Raf knew exactly the kind of horror these evil beings could accomplish?

Erica sighed and buried her head into Jack's shoulder. "I hope you're right." She murmured with quick glance to Myra.

The said dark haired girl looked back and tried to offer a small smile but it faltered some. This must happen a lot around here.

Jack opened his mouth to say something to help comfort the two new girls but he was caught off guard when a normally wrench-wielding medic came rushing into the room. The five humans all leapt to their feet, jogging over to where Ratchet was working, their curiosity seeping to the surface. At the moment, the grouchy medic was bustling around the ground bridge, muttering curses under his breath. Raf, Jack, and Miko all exchanged a few glances as more of the Autobots strode into the communications bay. Most of them were silent and slightly afraid of asking the medic what was going on but Arcee was the brave one of the mechs around her.

"Ratchet, what's going on?" The blue femme asked.

The medic paused and slowly turned around with a relieved look on his face. "Lunarbolt's alive."

Most of the Autobots' and humans' reactions mirrored his own as his words finally hit them. "...how?" Myra asked incredulously.

Bluestreak was one with the brightest expression on his face. He pumped a fist into the air and laughed. "Who cares? She's alive!"

Ratchet quickly began working on the Ground Bridge when Wheeljack's voice crackled through the screen.

"Hey, Bulk. You forgot to mention that your second-in-command was nice to look at."

There was snort. "You are very lucky I am injured or I would be breaking your neck with my thighs."

The team all beamed. That was their lieutenant alright.

"Looks like you were right Jack." Myra patted the teen's shoulder smiling. "She's one tough lady. She probably showed them Decepticreeps who's boss."

The Ground Bridge opened with the familiar sound of gears whirling and twirling. All the bots in the room turned to the bridge and saw Wheeljack carrying their battered and bruised lieutenant. She was leaning heavily against the Wrecker, energon still leaking from small knife wounds. Her frame was nearly torn to shreds, wires openly exposed from her sessions with Shockwave. Ratchet pushed his way through the growing crowd and began to help the lone Wrecker with Lunarbolt, leading them towards the make-shift medical bay. Lunarbolt finally sat down on the medical berth as the team approached throwing her question after question until Ratchet was the mech to stop them from baggering their lieutenant.

"Alright! That's enough! Lunarbolt has been through enough today. Now, I suggest you should all keep quiet while I work on her. Understood?" The medic barked.

The Autobot team, both bots and humans, scooted away from the medical bay, keeping their questions hushed and but managed to steal a few glances at Lunarbolt.

After hearing the commotion from his quarters, Optimus appeared at the door and then saw Lunarbolt's smirking expression staring back at him. She slowly lifted a energon-stained servo to a formal salute and said, "Lunarbolt, Autobot Second-in-Command, reporting for duty, sir."

The conversation that Optimus that just had with Mirage, was pushed to the back of his processor as he stepped forward being mindful of their team medic. "It is good to have you back Lunarbolt." He said smiling.

The silver femme smiled and then saw Mirage enter the room. "Mirage! You are just the mech I was looking for; I have a message for you."

As the red mech walked in, he sent a sidelong glower toward the Autobot Commander before looking at her, his optic ridges furrowing. "Hmm, a message you say? From who?"

"From an old friend; he said that you would know what it meant. He says, it is better to seek permission than ask forgiveness." Lunarbolt replied solemnly as Ratchet began to fuss over her injuries.

The spy's expression was hard to read after hearing that. He knew that quote from a long time ago. He swallowed thickly, keeping his stoic face up. "... Thank you for the message." He muttered before walking off.

Lunarbolt watched Mirage walk away and then turned to her commander. She knew Mirage had gotten the hint as to who the 'old friend' was. "Sir, permission to slap Wheeljack for his earlier comments?"

The five humans all snickered, including their Autobot counter parts. Wheeljack's expression was priceless as Bulkhead clapped him hard on the shoulder. The Wrecker sent his old teammate a hard glare but kept his fear of the femme hidden.

Optimus couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Permission denied. Although, when have you ever followed orders?"

Lunarbolt only grinned and shrugged with a painful wince and gasp. Ratchet lightly smacked her on the hip. "Take it easy. Your injuries are worse than I thought." The medic grumbled with a roll of the optics. He shooed away the rest of the Autobot team, leaving himself, his commander, Lunarbolt in the medical bay.

The five humans and their partners all made their way towards the other side of the base, smiles on their faces and sighs of relief echoing behind him. Erica was probably the most ecstatic of them all since she jumped onto Myra's back and demanded a piggy-back ride...

That request was obviously denied since Myra dumped her to the floor, before running off laughing as Erica cursed from behind her.

* * *

As for the trio in the medical bay, the silence could not have been more awkward. As Ratchet examined some of the hidden patch jobs that scattered themselves over Lunarbolt's frame, he knew of these kind of patch jobs. There were not professional but not ameture either. A mech went through a great deal to make sure that these wounds would not be opened again...

Ratchet glanced up at Lunarbolt. "Hm, maybe Knock Out does know how to patch a wound."

"He is the Decepticon medic for a reason, Ratchet." Optimus then turned his attention to his lieutenant. "How do you feel Lunarbolt?"

Lunarbolt rubbed at her neck from being nearly choked to death by Megatron's death-like grip. "Like I've been thrown into the Pits, spat back out, and thrown back in again. But I've been through worse."

The femme shrugged again. "I'll be fine. Ratchet will just patch me up and I'll be good as new. You, my commander, have nothing to worry about."

Optimus did not give in. "I know you will heal physically; but I am concerned about your mental health."

The silver femme was on the defensive. "With all due respect sir, I'll be fine. If it will make you feel better, I can talk to Ratchet anytime about what happened, just not now."

Ratchet huffed. "Don't drag me into your lovers' quarrel."

The Prime shot his medic a dry look. "We're hardly 'lovers'."

Ratchet only rolled his optics as he continued working on Lunarbolt. "The word 'partners' is a better term." She offered with a snarky smile.

The medic snorted at the flirty attempt made by the femme. "Either way, do not drag me into it. I'm only the medic here. And I would hate to patch up both my commander and his lieutenant in the same day."

Optimus only shook his head and looked at the smaller femme "It is good to have you back, Lunarbolt." He spoke. "I - ehm, the team has missed you."

Lunarbolt smiled softly and yet sadly too. Those were not the words she had hoped to hear. She quickly hid her sadness with a nod. "I appreciate their concern. And yours as well." She turned to the medic. "Are you done yet?"

"Almost, though when I am done I don't want you galvanizing off like some curious youngling. Your energon levels are very low and you need to rest." Ratchet's tone was not on to be trifled with.

Lunarbolt frowned and waited patiently before Ratchet finished last few scans. After a few moments, Ratchet was done and ordered the femme to drink plenty of energon and rest often. The femme gave the medic a mock salute and prepared to hop from the medical berth but was caught by a large servo on her thin wrist.

And sure enough, it was Optimus. "Allow me to take you back to your room; it would be the least I could do." He stated. Lunarbolt looked at him quizzically and then shook her head politely.

"I'll be fine, sir. But thank you anyway." With that said the femme removed herself from the Prime's firm grip and walked down the hall to her shared quarters with Arcee.

Ratchet stood behind his commander and then asked dryly. "…_Just partners_?"

Optimus watched her go. "I'm only showing her courtesy, Ratchet." He curtly replied. "I hope that is alright by your standards." Was it a crime to suddenly show someone, who was a femme, courtesy?

Ratchet held his servos up in surrender and walked away, going back to his work in the medical bay. Optimus lowered his helm and walked back towards his quarters, leaving the medic to an empty room.

He let out a harrumph. "No one listens to the medic."

* * *

**A/N: Poor Ratchet. Always gets the short end of the stick. But on the other hand... ****READ AND REVIEW GUYS! The more reviews we get, the quicker the update! Chapter Sixteen is in the works and we are leading up to the biggest event of the story! But I can't spill anything! You will just have to wait and keep reading Basketball, Robots, and Police Chases!**

**PS: If you want to know more about any characters, their back story, or have any questions regarding the fic, send a message to myself or Topkicker26. We hope to see a couple in our inbox!**


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